A joy for poetry

Retired newspaper man, 91, still expressing himself through words -- now through poetry

by Larry Magrath

gmmentllc@gmail.com

Walter Olson with his great grandson, also named Walter Olson. The elder Walter ran the Morgan Messenger for many years. In his retirement years, he has discovered a love for poetry.  Contributed photo

It doesn’t take much for the poet in Walter Olson to wake up. The retired newspaperman has a long life and all the experiences that go along with it to draw on.

Sitting in a local McDonald’s in the dead of winter, he gazes out at a dirty snowbank, blurs his vision a little, turns to his own contemplative thoughts and equates the snowbank to the majesty and grandeur of mountains he’s visited in Oregon and read about from authors he admires.

The 91-year-old from Morgan enjoys writing poems that tend to be whimsical, shorter, and easy enough to understand so you needn’t have had classes on the subject.

“I like to write for the average person. I don’t like a lot of literary illusions.”

Maybe one day his works will be published as a collection, and he’s thought about self-publishing his work but so far hasn’t done it other than submitting some poems to local publications.

“I write for my own pleasure. I don’t write because I think I’m a great poet. I don’t write for other poets or college professors. I just enjoy writing poetry whether it’s good or bad you know. Once in a while I’ll send some people a poem. I don’t overdo it. I have just written them for fun. I enjoy my own writing.”

He’s spent his life in Minnesota but did have a stint in the service and was able to visit his father’s birthplace in Gol, Hallingdal, Norway. His father immigrated here when he was 12.

He married Arlene Elaine Bumgardner in 1957 once back from his service. They raised six children: Jen Eiler of Bird Island, Jon Olson of Willmar, Donna Schmitz of Montevideo, Diane Mac Iver of Ramsey, Robert Olson of St. Francis, and Tricia Winstead of St. Paul.

The couple published The Morgan Messenger beginning in 1972 and The Sentinel from 1978, retiring in 2008. Arlene recently moved to a senior care facility in Morgan following an illness. He visits his wife often around meal times and even takes her out on excursions. Trips to McDonald’s in Redwood Falls are still in the mix as he has remained independent, ambling around his small house in Morgan and driving where he needs to go.

He is the youngest and the last of 12 siblings. There’s a large family reunion picture in his dining room with 62 family members that was taken a few years ago and not everyone made it to the gathering that day. He counts 32 great-grandchildren in his list of descendants.

He draws his inspiration from reading and writings over the years, other poets and travels with his wife and family. He started penning his poems after he retired. Mountains are a particular inspiration for him as he points to a recent read sitting on the dining-room table: Facing the Extreme by Ruth Ann Kocour who wrote about climbing Alaska’s Mt. McKinley.

Some of his favorites are poems written by Emily Dickinson who was known for shorter works and Robert Peterson. He’s enjoyed reading the works of Minnesota stalwarts Bill Holm, Robert Bly, and Garrison Keillor as well as many others.

“I order books and then I donate them to the Redwood library. What’s the sense of having books sit around? Let somebody else enjoy them.”

Walter Olson of Morgan has written many poems, all just for fun. Some to have been published in area publications. Photo by Larry MaGrath

Many of his poems are prefaced with a quote he likes from various authors to set the stage for his musings. Topping his poem: “80 and Beyond” is a Peterson quote: “Sh.., you don’t get wise, and you never get well. Just a bit owled and overtaken once in a while.”

Prefacing his “Grand Illusion” he quotes Solveig Dahl: “We are not in control.”

Stacks of uncounted white single-sheet printer papers with a single poem fill his desk at home. Some are profound and contemplative while others are curt. The subject of getting and being old isn’t off limits as much as the subject of death is, he notes with a smile.

People tend to remember moments rather than the specific dates and times and even locations of life events. 

“The moments I can recall. The dates are getting harder to remember.”

“Life is uncertain when you’re 91. For example, tomorrow I’m going to the dentist. What’s the point of going to the dentist?”

The little berg of Morgan, population 888, in Redwood County is the inspiration for a few poems.

“I’m probably stuck here for the rest of my days,” he said with a smile.