Retrospective

My dad had three fishing buddies—
Martin, Bill and another man called U.S.
U.S. got my attention the most.
U.S. lost an arm in the World War
and told the best jokes.
When he laughed, the jump
jumped in his sleeve
like a puppy in a pillowcase.

When they went on fishing trips,
they took Old Blue,
an imaginary dog!
They took a real dog food dish,
a water dish, and a bag of dog food.
Now keep in mind
this dog did not exist!
Come on, Blue, they called,
opened the door to let him in,
and off they went.

My dad told me
they stopped the car every once in a while
to let Old Blue get out and do his “business.”
Sometimes they’d whistle and call
for five minutes to get him back in.

When they stopped at a motel, they’d ask
if they could keep their dog in the room.
If the clerk said no, they’d drive to another.
How date they not let him stay! I thought.

When they got home,
they showed off all the fish they caught.
They held them up for a picture.
They always said they had a great time,
but Old Blue had the best!