Lampo the Traveling Dog

Lampo At the train station in Campiglia Within sight of Elba Island Stands the statue of a mongrel A mix of a something Highland The statue shows Lampo just sitting His right paw aloft as if to shake And facing the train tracks he watches Just thinking which one he might take Beloved by every railman And those who rode Italy’s rail Lampo the famed riding dog stands And this is old Lampo’s sad tale He came from the states in the 50s To Italy so goes the tales He lived a life that was quite different The dog loved to just ride the rails Now how he got left in Campiglia The writer of this doesn’t know The railmen there at the station Simply let him come and go Somehow he got to know schedules Could tell a slow train from express He managed to go some place each day But where it might be was a guess He always made sure not to go far And to catch an connector each day That took him right back to Campiglia And he never once lost his way Lampo – which means flash of lightening Made over three thousand trips Each day with everyone watching Into a train car he slips A station master in Rome once Called Campiglia to see if he Should put Lampo on the right train back But Campiglia said let him be So Lampo sat watching the trains run Picked one and climbed on aboard That evening he’s back in Campiglia His reputation then simply soared After that there was no stopping This traveling dog or his fame And tied to his collar were train stubs Of all of the train station names And you know this dog was quite friendly And always knew which cars were best To get a bite or to get petted Or simply to just take a rest Only once in eight years did he slip up Asleep he just missed his last stop But back tracking he finally got home As train upon train he did hop This feat said those local railmen Could only be done by a man Who had held a printed timetable Of those trains right there in his hand Ironically the four-legged hitchhiker Died under the wheels of a freight The kind of train he had avoided As if maybe knowing his fate It happened right there in Campiglia The old dog had been feeling ill He needed a boost from a trainman He wanted to ride the train still Nobody saw the dog jump off As onto the train track he lay But after the train left the station Poor Lampo had just passed away He stands guard now there in Campiglia Silently watching the trains The poor dog has not been forgotten For always his memory remains.