Louis Larsen worked as an English instructor for the majority of his adult life. In that time, he produced many works in both novels and poetry. Louis also worked as a ghost writer for many others, as well as newspapers throughout Utah. The works here represent those left to the family, both published and unpublished. Much of his work reflects a haunting feeling of loss, pain and betrayal. This comes from the loss of his son, Thomas Larsen, in World War II. Tom served with the 85th Mountain Infantry of the 10th Mountain Division, where he served with distinguished honor, and paid the ultimate price for his commitment. Tom lost his life on Riva Ridge, Mount Belvedere in February, 1945. This loss haunted Louis for the remainder of his life. Many of his poems reflect this pain and leave a legacy of the emotional priced paid in the wake of war.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

The Mountain

When you marvel at the mountain,
Pen no rhapsodic lines
Descriptive of its battlements,
Its shadowed peaks and pines.

The mountain that has stood there
Through a million years of stress
Shrugs off the pallid phrases,
The futile wordiness.

Make obeisance in awed silence,
There is nought to speak about--
God said all there is to say
The day He carved it out.

(First published in Along the Lane: Dedicated to the memory of Thomas William Larsen, who lost his life in World War II)
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)