| OCR Text |
Show Frank D. Lemon Moab, Utah born: 10 May, 1901 In the town of Moab, located in the southeastern part of the state, the mention of poetry invariably brings to mind the name of Frank Lemon. Frank, who came to Moab during the 50s, has been Moab's unofficial poet laureate since his 1961 publication of Rhymes of a Ranch Hand. Frank was born and raised in the town of Ferron, in Emery County. His parents, who were among the area's original settlers, worked a small family ranch. At an early age, Frank began helping with roundups and rangework as well as the daily chores. As a result, he became very familiar with both the pleasures and hardships associated with ranchlife. After marriage, he not only worked as a rancher, but also spent time working on farms, in sawmills, in the mines and for various companies as a handyman-custodian. The last of his occupations was memorialized in a second publication, Reminiscences of a Custodian. Poetry has been important to Frank throughout his life and he continues to enjoy reading a large collection of verse that includes the work of Kipling, Service and many others. He began writing after the death of his first wife in 1958. His writing was precipitated by the fact that his wife had loved poetry and had recited it nightly to their two small sons. At that same time, his sister, who felt he needed a new hobby, sent him a poem he'd written in grade school that she had saved. Writing seemed to be both a good way to deal with his grief and a way to express his thoughts and feelings about his life experiences. Frank Cowboy Poetry From Utah 93 |
