Posted on 06/23/2013 5:01:24 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska
He never came to me when I would call
Unless I had a tennis ball,
Or he felt like it,
But mostly he didn't come at all.
When he was young
He never learned to heel
Or sit or stay,
He did things his way.
Discipline was not his bag
But when you were with him things sure didn't drag.
He'd dig up a rosebush just to spite me,
And when I'd grab him, he'd turn and bite me.
He bit lots of folks from day to day,
The delivery boy was his favorite prey.
The gas man wouldn't read our meter,
He said we owned a real man-eater.
He set the house on fire
But the story's long to tell.
Suffice it to say that he survived
And the house survived as well.
On the evening walks, and Gloria took him,
He was always first out the door.
The Old One and I brought up the rear
Because our bones were sore.
He would charge up the street with Mom hanging on,
What a beautiful pair they were!
And if it was still light and the tourists were out,
They created a bit of a stir.
But every once in a while, he would stop in his tracks
And with a frown on his face look around.
It was just to make sure that the Old One was there
And would follow him where he was bound.
We are early-to-bedders at our house--
I guess I'm the first to retire.
And as I'd leave the room he'd look at me
And get up from his place by the fire.
He knew where the tennis balls were upstairs,
And I'd give him one for a while.
He would push it under the bed with his nose
And I'd fish it out with a smile.
And before very long
He'd tire of the ball
And be asleep in his corner
In no time at all.
And there were nights when I'd feel him
Climb upon our bed
And lie between us,
And I'd pat his head.
And there were nights when I'd feel this stare
And I'd wake up and he'd be sitting there
And I'd reach out my hand and stroke his hair.
And sometimes I'd feel him sigh
and I think I know the reason why.
He would wake up at night
And he would have this fear
Of the dark, of life, of lots of things,
And he'd be glad to have me near.
And now he's dead.
And there are nights when I think I feel him
Climb upon our bed and lie between us,
And I pat his head.
And there are nights when I think
I feel that stare
And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,
But he's not there.
Oh, how I wish that wasn't so,
I'll always love a dog named Beau.
[From Jimmy Stewart and His Poems, 1989]
Good afternoon LUV and (((HUGS))). Another hot one for us here.
I noticed a lot of houses here already have 4th of July banners on the eaves and fences. Mine is out too.
Sneaking in to say Happy Monday!! Have a good rest of the day, beachy...((HUGS))
Now that you mention it there were a lot of red, white and blue banners displayed. Not having July 4th on my mind I thought no further. This is Massachusetts, too.
I hope it’s a sign.
Howdy! (((hugs)))
Stay cool if ya can! I run from AC to AC as fast as possible. Gonna be over 100 by midweek. Ugh!
Our area is very conservative. We are one of the precincts in Travis county Texas that votes for the (R) with a 75% or higher margin and has a lot of retired military. People with 0 bummer stickers on their cars are hard to find.
We gave the dog a shave yesterday. She loves her new cut and had a bit of spunk in her step this morning.
That’s why I mentioned Massachusetts, the bluest of blue having a preponderance of patriotic banners on homes 2 weeks before July 4th.
You must feel like we do, the one small blood red area in the blue cancer spot of Travis county.
I’ll bet she feels so much better! :)
Spot on! I have made a few conversions and a few enemies as enjoy my political perversion in Mass.
Good evening, Lady J...what a wonderful poem.
Thanks.
That should be a fun visit. Whatever will you do with yourself. LOL!
I remember the Johnny Carson Show that Jimmy Stewart read his poem on. Both men were crying at the end of it. Stewart read it with love.
I was laft with bunch of tasks that Mrs. SR wants done while she is gone as well to MI.
Good morning dear ((HUGS))
I bet she did. LOL
Yup. She was in the AC panting on Saturday evening.
Good morning beachy and (((HUGS))) to you too.
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