The Old Soldier's Story: Poems and Prose Sketches

A whimsical mix of verse and short prose, this collection captures the humble voice of an old soldier who loves to spin tall tales around a fire. The poet’s gentle dialect brings Midwestern charm to everyday scenes—gardens, holiday songs, quiet evenings—while the sketches wander through quirky encounters, from a phantom in a corridor to a rolling‑skate improvisation. Listeners will hear the cadence of a storyteller who, though not a polished comedian, delivers humor laced with tenderness, letting the audience feel both the camaraderie of a banter‑filled banquet and the bittersweet moments of war.

The opening narrative sets the tone with a rambling recount of a battlefield mishap, inviting the ear to linger on the speaker’s self‑aware meanderings and warm humanity. As the pieces unfold, the listener discovers reflections on love, nature, and simple pleasures, all threaded together by the same homespun rhythm that makes the old soldier’s voice feel like a familiar neighbor sharing a well‑worn story.