Photo © Ian Coristine/1000IslandsPhotoArt.com
 You are here:  Back Issues      Archive

Autumnal Elegy


Editor's Note: 

Let me introduce you to Wayne Strauss, who first spent summers in Fineview, on Wellesley Island and now hails from Alexandria Bay.  This is, he proudly states, his 60th year on the River and as he says, “They used to say that to be a real "River Rat", you had to have had your diapers washed in the River. Mom says that I qualify.”

He has been writing poetry “on and off for 40 years.” It all started when he took a college course that made a big impression.  He not only puts his thoughts on paper, but is a devoted member of Toastmasters International!

After answering all my questions, I asked Wayne what I had missed and he proudly stated, “ My earliest swim date is April 4th; pushed out ice in the AM, went in the River in the PM. May also qualify for "World's Shortest Swim"!

Capture

By Wayne C. Strauss

Wayne C. Strauss is Vice President of OppenheimerFunds, Inc., and works directly with the Oppenheimer Municipal Investment Team located in Rochester, New York. An attorney licensed to practice in the State of New York, Wayne also holds several securities licenses. He has served on the Board of Directors and as a Proctor for Rochester Area Mensa, and is currently a member of the adjunct faculty of St. John Fisher College in Rochester. An Eagle Scout and member of Toastmasters International, he spends as much time as possible aboard his boat “Convexity,” in the Thousand Islands.
Posted in: Poetry
Please feel free to leave comments about this article using the form below. Comments are moderated and we do not accept comments that contain links. As per our privacy policy, your email address will not be shared and is inaccessible even to us. For general comments, please email the editor.

Comments

Pat Trout
Comment by: Pat Trout
Left at: 8:44 AM Wednesday, October 18, 2017
I so enjoyed your poem! It IS a deafening quiet sound in one's heart as we leave The River and our boats for that last time... until next spring! Yes, you are a true" River Rat"! Some of us are perhaps just" River Mice" because we fell in love with The River and the 1000 Islands a bit later in life? It doesn't really matter because the love for the area is just the same; albeit, a bit shorter in history.
Wayne Strauss
Comment by: Wayne Strauss
Left at: 5:50 AM Monday, October 23, 2017
Thank you, Pat! Penne says "hi". Have a nice winter - see you at Keewaydin! - Wayne