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To: JustAmy; yorkie; pandoraou812; La Enchiladita; gardengirl; OESY; MEG33; jaycee; Mama_Bear; ...


 

Beau

By Jimmy Stewart
1908-1997
[Beloved Actor, WWII Veteran, Humanitarian]

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]
 

I watched him read Beau on the Johnny Carson show and now you can, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUNJjIwlHk8


2,199 posted on 06/24/2008 9:45:06 AM PDT by Lady Jag (Donate to FR anytime at https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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To: JustAmy; yorkie; pandoraou812; La Enchiladita; gardengirl; OESY; MEG33; jaycee; Mama_Bear; ...

Morning all!


2,200 posted on 06/24/2008 9:45:46 AM PDT by Lady Jag (Donate to FR anytime at https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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To: Lady Jag

Oh my gosh, that was heart-rending. I have tears in my eyes.
Jimmy Stewart was one of a kind, we loved him.
What a great find, Lady Jag:).

Oh, and I see you snagged the 3000... er, uh, 2200...
(It’s a joke.)


2,208 posted on 06/24/2008 10:09:10 AM PDT by La Enchiladita (Special gringa in every way.)
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To: Lady Jag


Good afternoon, Lady J.

I love that poem by Jimmy Stewart ...
well I've been in love with Jimmy Stewart since I outgrew Roy Rogers. :)

I also heard him read the poem on Johnny Carson.

Thank you for providing the link so I can watch it again.

Have a Beautiful Day.

2,209 posted on 06/24/2008 10:11:45 AM PDT by JustAmy (I wear red every Friday, but I support our Military everyday!!)
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To: Lady Jag

I love Jimmy Stewart! And dogs!


2,236 posted on 06/24/2008 11:26:59 AM PDT by gardengirl
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To: Lady Jag
Oh, my gosh, that Jimmy Stewart poem about Beau made me cry. I don't think I can watch the video. Just reading it tore me up. How our beloved pets effect our lives forever!

Lady Jag, your posts most often strike me as LOL funny, or, like this one, effect me deeply, but one thing they never are is ho-hum. (Forgive the poorly structured sentence - not sure how to make it better. LOL.) ;-)

2,339 posted on 06/25/2008 9:38:54 AM PDT by Mama_Bear (My heroes wear camouflage!)
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