'Neighbor Poet' Writing Customized Weekly Rhymes

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Tom Fobbe calls himself the "neighborhood poet" and hopes his words will warm the hearts of many Minnesotans.

"It's always been my hobby," said Fobbe, who lives in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood. "I was a journalism major in college. While doing serious journalism stories, I had this creative energy, and I used it to write poems."

Now he's a husband, father of two and a data analyst who's currently out of work. He starts a new job in April, but between now and then he needed a way to the pass the time.

"I had four months off, and I had winter to kill. I also needed to get a walk in," Fobbe said. "I thought, 'As long as I'm going for a walk, I might as well do something productive and maybe share some of my poetry.'"

So he jammed 3,000 leaflets in the doorways of his neighbors asking them if he could write them weekly poems to help get them through the winter. He got 150 yeses.

"My favorite topic is Minnesota humor: We have plenty right here to laugh about without reaching beyond our borders," Fobbe said. "By delivering these poems to my neighbors, I promise to help them get through this tough period of time, maybe make [it] into spring together."

Here's one poem he wrote for WCCO Radio:

Need to know the traffic, weather,
on the eights and altogether?
News and sports, and whole lots more,
everything you're looking for?
Broadcast pros, engaging shows,
station everybody knows?...
A - M dial, eight-three-oh,
your good neighbor, CCO!

Fobbe has been commissioned to write several personal poems for others and has made a few bucks.

"I've gotten a great response," Fobbe said. "It's been kind of an uplifting feeling, knowing people like my stuff."

If you would like Tom Fobbe to add you to his weekly list of poetry recipients, email him at Thomfobb@gmail.com.

Here are some more of his poems:

March melt makes much mush and slush.
April rain makes May look lush.
Summer simmers; fall, no rush.
Don't wake winter, shhhh, please hush.
___

Winter outdoor things to do?
Snow fort, snowball fight – that's two.
Ski, skate, sled – that's five, yahoo!
Shiver, shovel – seven, booooo!!
___

Drivers, many fret and flinch
any time it snows an inch,
causing traffic pile and pinch,
making others growl and grinch.

In:
• Highland Park