I traveled up north in May to the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, my alma mater, to give a reading of a prose poem I wrote. It is displayed below.
Here I am, standing in front of the Studio Arts building, where I spent most of my time completing the requirements for my B.A. in Music.
Most of the buildings on campus were built in the early 1970s out of poured concrete and look like this building from the 1978 movie Coma.
They also look like Century City in Los Angeles, where The Conquest of the Planet of the Apes was filmed in 1972
Many things had changed in the lounge of the Stuido Arts building. I didn’t recognize anything except the vending machines. The change machine was gone, and the whole campus had become cashless. I felt out of place and old.
I felt at home when I saw that the vending machine still had my favorite snack, I didn’t buy one. I’m doing low carbs now. In my college days, I often munched on pretzels, and this crunchy chocolate and peanut butter confection was a great treat.
Here, I am at The Phoenix Club in the student union, ready to give my reading. The entire building was remodeled, and I didn’t recognize anything.
The following is the prose poem I read. Unfortunately, the formatting on this device does not work the same as with Microsoft Word, and in some places, the words looked jumbled.
Dealing with this became a frustration, so I left it imperfect, much to my regret.
Hometown Values
By Tony Perkins
Growing up in my small town, I often passed the old grounds
some buildings still remain
I heard stories from my grandparents
of where artists, writers, orators, intellects, dignitaries, and musicians
luminaries of the past
engaged, shared, relaxed, and revived
on the shores of “The Bay”
and of the trolley that ran to the meeting grounds
of the former Chautauqua Institute
and the amusement park beyond it
both now long gone
I imagined living there then
immersed in the knowledge and culture shared
by notable stars
from across the land
Decades ago, I discovered one day
on the clearance shelf in a thrift store
one step
from the dumpster
a set of old Chautauqua books used at the grounds
they looked brand new and never opened
rescuing them from disposal, I took those treasures home
and I learned
cherishing their ideals and words
Motivated, I took up cello at school
the next year, the orchestra was canceled
drama was eliminated a few years later
“to save money”
still, in my heart, I carried the message I learned
Today, my hometown boasts a sport’s hall of fame
with the names of their local athletic heroes
engraved on brass plaques
enough metal to build a bridge
yet at the old grounds, there remains no figure or trace
of the auditorium that once stood there
or the entrance arches that greeted visitors
at the trolley stop
Few people in my hometown now know
The boy—John Hubley—who became an animator
winning three Academy Awards
beating his former boss, Walt Disney
and creating Mr. Magoo
The boy—Arthur Gardner—who became a producer
of TV shows and films
namely action-adventures and Westerns
starring John Wayne and Chuck Conners
The boy—Howell Conant—who became a photographer
of presidents and movie stars
including John F. Kennedy and Grace Kelly
and a friend of the royal family of Monaco
Few people, if any, heard of all three boys
who came from their hometown
Yet, almost everyone from my hometown knows that
at a time, a long time ago
they heard stories from their grandparents
somewhere, somehow
some boy* performed the “most amazing” and “wonderful thing”
a boy from my town, Marinette, Wisconsin
adored by and the envy of boys who came after him
his name must be on a brass plaque somewhere
made his hometown proud
when he adorned himself with the coveted mantle
and stepped on the hallowed grounds
of the celebrated gridiron
to play for the Packers of Green Bay
I, however, seek and hold on to the values
of those visiting journeyers and ancient voyagers of Truth
who paced the paths and traveled the roads
that led to knowledge and enlightenment
on the shores of “The Bay”
at those former cherished grounds
not forgotten by me
in my hometown
* Four Marinetteans became Green Bay Packers: Earl “Jug” Girard (1948-1951), Ed Glick (1922), Sammy Powers (1919-1921), Buff Wagner (1920-1921)
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