Notes in My Shirt Pocket: A Collection of Poems

By Charles A. Romstad

This book is a collection of six reflections in prose and sixty nine poems written by Charles (Chuck) A. Romstad and edited by his long time friend John E. Huegel. The poems are grouped under the following headings: Loosening the Knot, Memories of Earlier Times, Portraits, The Beginning the End and in Between, Am I My Brother's Keeper?, Amen!, and Aging. All of Chuck's poems in free verse. Some are gusty, others are melancholic with a sprinkling of sadness, but all come from his heart. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) the Scottish essayist and historian, wrote "There is no heroic poem in the world but is at the bottom a biography, the life of a man." This is certainly true of Chuck's poems.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664119406

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Copyright © 2020 by Charles A. Romstad.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Edited by John E. Huegel

Design of the cover by Joel Alexander Huegel

Rev. date: 07/29/2020

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES A. ROMSTAD

PREFACE

INTIMIDATED BY PROSE

JOY IN THE CHURCH

TREES, CARS AND LIFESTYLE

THE NEWS

DESPAIR AND HOPE

ON READING ISAIAH

MORNING CONCERT

LOOSENING THE KNOT

PAPER

AFTER A POEM

REAL TIME

MEMORIES OF EARLIER TIMES

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN SO FRAGILE?

FEAR OF FALLING

CAMP NIDAROS*

A MEDLEY OF TURTLES*

THERE WERE BOYS

PICNIC

WHEN THE LILACS CAME*

PAY ATTENTION

PORTRAITS

BLACK AND WHITE*

FIRST CHILD

MADONNA AND CHILD

NOAH*

BABY STEPS

SIMPLE WEARINESS

WATCHFUL*

THE FLESH*

ALL MY LITTLE ONES*

UNCLE TONY

FERGIE*

THE BEGINNING, THE END AND IN BETWEEN

IN THE BEGINNING

THE GREAT ROOM

THE TRIO*

THE RECITAL

JOYFUL SOUNDS

PLASTIC FLOWERS

BY LAWS

VOICES

FREQUENT FLYERS

SLEEP*

MOSAIC

INCANDESCENCE

THUNDER AND THE BIRD

PEEWEE AND TOAD

THREE DUCKS AND A FRISBEE

SUDDENLY

MARATHON*

HOSPITAL LOBBY

FUNERAL PARLOR

VILLAGE CEMETERY

AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER?

SIGNS OF LIFE

ONE MORNING*

ONE MORNING*

GENOCIDE AND JAZZ

FOOD CHAIN

ONLY THE INNOCENT SURVIVE

CONSIDER THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD*

THE HEALING GARDEN

AMEN!

AMEN!*

FOOTPRINT

I WILL GIVE YOU REST*

THE BEASTS OF JOY

GOOD FRIDAY

HAPPY EASTER!

OH, MY PEOPLE!

IT IS FINISHED

WE SHALL BE CONSOLED*

AGING

STICK

FALLING

PICTURES ON A STRING

LET THE ACCOUNTING BEGIN*

ON EAGLES’ WINGS

NO TREES IN BAGDAD

WINTER PARK

RELUCTANT TO LEAVE

OAKWOOD*

PARADISE

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF

CHARLES A. ROMSTAD

C harles Romstad was born the first of five children to Pastor Arvid and Lucille Romstad in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 1932. He recalls being a dreamy kid, spending summers exploring the river banks and wooded hills of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, living the life of Tom Sawyer. His busy parents encouraged his adventures away from the house. He talked frequently about the joy of spending day after full day alone or with a friend wandering in nature. In high school, Chuck developed a love for music, idolizing the great swing bands. He took up the trombone and imagined a life on the road.

He attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota where he studied history, sang in the choir and competed in long distance running. After graduation in 1954, Chuck and a friend set out to see the country, hitch-hiking extensively through the South and Eastern Seaboard.

Chuck entered military service in 1955 and was stationed in Korea with the U.S. Army. Aptitude testing won him a job in the personnel department of a large troop replacement depot near Seoul. Fighting had ceased long before his arrival, so when he was given leave, he enjoyed exploring the countryside and meeting the Korean people.

Following his service, Chuck undertook postgraduate coursework at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. At a Christian singles event in 1958, he met Martha Stone - his future wife and most devoted friend. That same year, he followed his father and grandfather into the pastoral ministry, enrolling in Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Chuck and Martha were married in 1960 and set up housekeeping in Silver Bay, Minnesota where he had an internship.

Back in St. Paul to complete his studies, Chuck and Martha welcomed a son (Tom) in 1961. Following his ordination in 1962, Chuck served parishes in Bison, Naples