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Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com www.TheCatoctinBanner.com The Catoctin Banner Newspaper November 2017 Page 17
Taneytown Man a Poet for Seventy-One Years
James Rada, Jr.
Frances Smith’s oldest Courtesy Photo From there, his
dated poem that he has understanding of poetry
is dated 1946, more than multiplied, and he was
seventy years ago. Over soon tutoring a friend in it.
that time, he has penned During his years at the
thousands of poems. seminary, he majored in
“I enjoy words and philosophy and also taught
how they sound,” Smith at St. Joseph Prep School in
said from his Taneytown Philadelphia. This served
home, which is filled with him well, because when he
notebooks of his poetry decided not to become a
and more than a few priest, he instead became
loose scraps of paper with a Carroll County teacher.
his poetry on them. Smith taught English in
As essential a part of Sykesville High School,
his life as his poetry is Taneytown High School,
now, it wasn’t always and Francis Scott Key High
that way. When he was a School, for forty years.
young man studying to be Frances Smith is shown with some of his own artwork. When he finally retired,
a priest in the seminary, he Smith’s poetry and painting
had a hard time catching one day, the priest read a poem; became his life’s pursuits.
on to what is so wonderful about Smith doesn’t recall what it was titled He is a cancer survivor, but it left him
poetry. or who wrote it, but he remembers weak and unable to do strenuous
His poetry instructor was a one line: “Meekly no angels fancy.” activity. However, he can create
patient Catholic priest. Each day he Something about the poem pictures from word and paint.
would come into the classroom and touched him, and he understood. “Writing and painting are my
begin by reading a poem. Then he When the priest looked at him that life,” Smith said.
would look at Smith. day, Smith nodded. The priest went to He is poems are regularly
“I would shake my head to tell his desk and picked up a large list of published in The Catoctin Banner,
him that I didn’t get it,” Smith said. names and checked off Smith’s name. and some of his collected poems have
Day after day, poem after poem, Apparently, Smith wasn’t the only also been published in limited-edition
Smith struggled to understand. Then, seminarian who didn’t get poetry. books.
