Rip Rippy

It was long ago, Whilst I was still going to college, Way back during the dawn of mankind, Still living with my first wife, with my parents, And my beloved mutt-dog, Rippy... A smallish, black dog, Long a part of the family, He loved cheese, like all Bells, And hated harmonicas, I guess, As he would howl when my father played... But we didn't know that then, We thought the cutie was merely singing along... Well, Rippy was in the habit of being let out, On his own, as we had a big yard, And always came back without incident... Until one winter's day, when he never returned... All hearts were broken, But none more than mine... I went out after a snow storm tapered off, Found his frozen carcass in a street nearby, And buried him, not an easy task, In the frozen back yard ground... Set up a cross, Although he never admitted to a religion... And sadly resumed my routine... Two days later, I came home from C.C.N.Y., One afternoon, via bus and subway... When I came in the door, My young first wife, Ann, and my mother, Greeted me with mysterious, mischievous smiles... They told me to close my eyes, They would take me inside my parents' Sealed close bedroom, for a surprise... Great mystery was evident, And it was evident they were enjoying My perplexed looks... Well, I did as told, They took me into my parents bedroom, I was told to open my eyes, I did, and there on the bed, Was my beloved Rippy!! I was delighted, of course, But wondering if this was some evil magic, As I had buried him some days prior, But no, it was Rip, and he was find, Just a bit skinnier than usual. So, who had I buried? To this day I don't know, But what are the odds, A dog of similar shape and size, Should appear dead, frozen, Directly across the street? Was his whitish frozen hue The reason I was fooled? I don't know, But I was so overjoyed, To have my favorite dog of all times, back... When he ultimately did die... My wife was gone from the scene, And my dog died in my arms... And if I live to be 600, And have 100 dogs more Before I die, I will always miss my Rippy most, So deeply did he I adore. For Rhoda, who is about to lose a favored cat, whose posted picture proved that that particular cat was gorgeous beyond normal expectations. tom bell