So long Lucky…
It's almost thirty years…
Today I was reading "A permeable life: Poems and Essays" by the great poet and musician Carrie Newcomer (http://www.carrienewcomer.com/artist/).
I found these words touching and thought they were written for you.
It's almost thirty years and I still miss you, girl…
"Arthur B and Bob
by Carrie Newcomer
From the Betty’s Diner Collection - inspiration for the song “ Arthur B and Bob”
Arthur B and me are very good friends. I love Arthur B and Arthur B really really loves me. Arthur B and Libby-dearest picked me out of a hard-worried cage. Libby-dearest smiled and said I was a fine retriever-hound-cocker-spaniel-brown dog and this made me very proud. They took me home and away from the hard-worried cage and now my name is Bob, which is a fine name, and I am a good and grateful dog. Libby-dearest gave me biscuits and let me jump up in the big bed and called me Slobber-Bobber and she smelled so so so good. She laughed a lot and danced in the living room with the shiny bell on her fingers. Libby-dearest’s shiny bell dancing made Arthur B a little nervous, but I could tell it made Arthur B a little proud. Before Libby- dearest went away she stopped shiny bell dancing and slept and slept and dreamed and dreamed and smelled like something worried. Arthur B sat next to her and I sat next to Arthur B while she dreamed and dreamed. Now I take care of Arthur B so he is not alone in the big wide worried world with dogs and cars and buildings and no shiny bell dancing Libby-dearest smell. When Arthur B is sad we are sad together. One night I howled for sad and Arthur B howled for sad, and we howled for sad together in the dark worried night. Arthur B is thin and he forgets to eat and once he forgot to put food in my good-dog bowl and he felt very very sorry and he cried no Libby-dearest no shiny bell dancing tears. I didn’t mind even though an empty good-dog bowl is a sad thing. I love love love to go for a walk with Arthur B and sometimes we go to the nice lady cold hamburger place where he ties me up outside and tells me to guard the parking meter, which is a very important job and I am a good and grateful dog. I can see Arthur B through the window and the nice lady brings him things to eat and sometimes she brings me cold hamburger pieces. Cold hamburger pieces are the best best best food in all all all the world. One night when Arthur B was sad the nice lady brought me inside and I put my head on his knee under the table so he would know that he was not alone in the big worried world. I love Arthur B and Arthur B loves me and I am a good and grateful dog."
-- Carrie Newcomer --
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