Merle Crouse in 1939 – Eight years old 
Merle Crouse in 2020 – 89 years old.
Merle is a member of the New Covenant Church of the Brethren in the Atlantic Southeast District. He has been attending Washington City since our Sunday worships went online. Merle has been writing poetry since he was 50 years of age. When asked about how his writing has been affected by the pandemic, he wrote, “The pandemic has not made any difference. Age does. I am 89 now.”
Merle has expressed the reasoning for his writing to be about capturing feelings. In his published book of selected poems, “The Pond is Almost Clear”, Merle says, “A poem is a way of preserving impressions and feelings that seem important. I want to remember some things that I want to tell my wife Jean about after I get home. Some things seem worth letting others know about.” If he senses an event or an idea of significance, he “record(s) it with a poem”.
The following poetry is but a small glimpse into Merle Crouse’s last 39 years of writing.
Washington City Church of the Brethren 