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Local poet picks up pen, produces prose well shapened
The 82-year-old is wearing a green baseball cap, a red sport coat and a white argyle sweater. He's sitting under a gazebo on High Street, opposite the Cactus Patch restaurant and Luther's Attic thrift store. Rolly is talking about poetry, when- all of a sudden- the Moorpark resident starts dancing. His boogie looks like a cross between Gregory Hines' toetapping in "History of the World: Part I" and the "Ickey Shuffle," a touchdown celebration made famous by former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods. "He's a unique man with a heart of gold," said friend Tom Pflaumer. Rolly's known for riding "Cooper"- his bicycle- all over town, writing poetry and handing little gifts to Moorpark residents. He rides his bike 15 miles a day into town, stopping to run errands and say hello to friends. Born in Houston, Texas, Rolly spent much of his youth jumping between the Lone Star State and California. Stationed in San Diego for about a year during World War II, he found a variety of jobs after leaving the U.S. Navy. After briefly attending the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, now known as the University of Texas-El Paso, Rolly worked as a lifeguard at a pool in Midland, Texas, a talc miner in Nevada and a cotton picker in Texas. He got fired from a lifeguard job for accidentally overturning a beehive in Midland. He was going to be a beach lifeguard in Venice, but nearly drowned trying to pass the test. Always, Rolly wrote poetry. He continues to write every day, even if it's just a little bit. "I should write more," he said. He keeps a pen and yellow pad in his pocket at all times, for whenever an idea comes to mind. He uses yellow paper because he can't stand the glare of a white surface. He handwrites everything- he doesn't own a computer. Rolly has been published in journals and magazines around the world, including Denmark and Ireland. He calls his style "primitive," and he gives the poems to whoever will take a look at them. "Poetry is like shrinking the moment. I like to shrink the moment into a little gem," he said in describing his craft. "The poem becomes a little, tiny picture; then I'm finished." Rolly also enjoys painting, drawing, taking photographs, dancing, of course, and singing. A woman walked by on High Street, and Rolly started sweetly crooning, "Everybody loves a baby." The woman smiled and blushed. People in Moorpark feel lucky to know him. Tom Pflaumer and his wife, Terrie, remember Rolly sending trinkets for their daughter, Breanna, during her battle with cancer. Last week, Rolly, a prostate cancer survivor, convinced the Lewis Music Academy to give Breanna, now 17, free singing lessons for two months. Maybe Rolly will soon have someone to sing a duet with. Breanna was an inspiration for one of Rolly's poems after he saw a photograph of the Pflaumers in the Nov. 23 issue of the Moorpark Acorn. In the photo, the family is standing in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Here is Rolly's poem: Thanks For Our Personification of Liberty, France We love her sans end Near 'much as Old Glory- May she stand, dear friend Till o'er be life's story! "I'm so glad we had the opportunity to get to know him," Tom Pflaumer said. "He's an angel on a bike. I can't imagine what would happen if he stopped riding his bike. That's his signature: riding his bike around town and writing poetry." |
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