[Dear Old Bob - by Mrs. Oscar (Esther) Olson]

Now I remember, when just a pup,
A little black ball, all curled up.
We made you a bed, right on the floor,
Sometimes in the way when we entered the door.

You perhaps seemed a nuisance, like all pups do,
But somehow it was different, just because it was you.
Your hair was all curly and rough to be right,
But soon it turned straight, shiny and bright.

A little short tail, is all that you had,
But what would you've done with one longer than that.
Little white paws and beautiful eyes,
You could be sure, they'd never tell lies.

A good little shepherd, is just what you were,
Love stirred in our hearts as we patted your fur.
Just plain Bob, is the name that we found,
To call this good dog, that was always around.

You'd eat with the cats in the same little dish,
Never fighting, even if for more you would wish.
You'd take care of the kittens so they wouldn't get hurt,
While playing with them in the grass and the dirt.

I recall how at times, we'd leave our straw hats,
Upon the porch floor, never thinking that,
A little black pup might drag them away,
And perhaps chew 'em up or leave them astray.

Soon came a day, when a straw was gone,
We guessed it right off and our search wasn't long.
For under the wagon, our own little pup,
Was playing away with the hat all torn up.

Perhaps the first scolding then came to your name,
As your darling brown eyes, dropped with shame.
Then under the granery you crawled in fright,
For you understood you hadn't done right.

Early one spring a wild rabbit we caught
Just a little bunny, we'd keep it, we thought.
One evening for fun, turned it loose on the floor,
While we weren't watching, it slipped out the door.

When this little bunny we couldn't find;
To be sure the first thought that came to our mind
Was that you had taken and eaten it too.
You seemed to know, how we felt about you.

A little dull bark then came to our ears,
And as we looked out, it ended our fears.
For you and the bunny were having a time,
To see who could first, the porch steps climb.

Love shone in our eyes for this wonderful dog.
'Tis true our hearts must of felt like a log.
A guilty conscience in our ears did ring
For believing that Bob, would of done such a thing.

Soon came the time when you must understand
How to bring home the cattle, from the old pastureland.
This you soon learned with wonderful skill
We can still see you coming over the hill.

How often at night we'd sit and admire,
Your beautiful head as you slept by the fire.
Your Silky black coat as it shown with a gleam.
Yes, 'tis true that it all, seems now like a dream.

Now Bob, you were a good dog, many years did you spend
A bringing the cattle up through the bend.
Some offered to buy you, even by mail,
But our own "Bob", just wasn't for sale.

The years passed by, and you grew old
Some of your life in here was told.
Hundred of other little things we cherish.
I'm sure that none of them ever will perish.

You became quite deaf as the days went by,
No one liked to face it, -neither you nor I.
You were getting feeble, your place you couldn't fill,
You no more could bring the cattle, home across the hill.

Now it seemed that just for mercy
'Twould be just one thing to do.
But even then, you must of realized,
That none of us could do it, so you just went off and died.

Now Bob is gone, no more will he be,
Around to play with you and me.
There are tears in my eyes, and a lump in my throat.
Let's remember you Bob, by these verses wrote.

Written by: Oscar's Esther.

This was a poem my Great-Grandmother Esther wrote about their dog "Bob". Esther had a book of her poems published several years before she died titled,
"Unforgettable Memories." She published this after years of her family's urging and some still survive to this day, still bound in the plastic they were received in. The book has outlived it's auther by several years now, for Great-Grandma Olson passed away some years ago. I don't ever remember meeting her, and I was too busy at the time to even attend the funeral service. It wasn't until this year that I discovered that she had had this book of her poems published. Now I proudly carry my own copy in rememberance, and to learn what I can about her now that she is no longer around to learn from.
I wanted to put at least one of her poems up in part to ensuring these poems never fade from the world, and in part to pay tribute to a great-grandparent I never got to know.
In the span of one's life there are few not worth remembering, but in one's own family and friends; there is no one worth forgetting.


Rest in Peace, Great-Grandma Esther Olson.

AnthonyM~