Man of Oberlin
By Don Bramkamp
Beneath the trees which rustle every year
Nostalgically before the coming cold,
He walked through autumn's heady atmosphere
Of claret, amber, crimson, orange, and gold.
He had come here as though propelled by fate,
As though this place was where he had to be,
Fulfilling some deep need that was innate,
Uniting him with its own symmetry.
His college had been worthy of his love,
Bestowing him with rare gifts in return,
And teaching him to set his goals above
The commonplace; to reason and to learn.
He had come here an idealistic youth,
To find his own identity and truth!Perhaps his essence lingers most of all
At Oberlin upon some golden day,
When color weaves the tapestries of fall,
And all the past is but a thought away.
He had found here so many major themes,
To open wide his musing mind and heart,
Embodying experience with his dreams,
And making each the other's counterpart.
His college had enriched his entire life,
Through all the years' commingled joy and strife,
He loved to say "I went to Oberlin!"
Because he knew that such a statement stood
For everything discerning, choice and good!