THE LETTER

It was a silent fire station,
You could’ve heard a pin,
When we learned that our Dalmatian
Had a long lost twin.

For Chief received a letter
From High Plains Army Air Field,
Stamped as Confidential
From Commander Gilbert Garfield.


“You’ve got a brother Victor
On a llama farm in Kansas,
And a little baby sister
By the name of Maggie Jackson.”

“I never knew I had a family,”
As Gus looked up in awe,
“Why don’t they live in Alabama?”
And then his face got really long.


“You were a tiny two-month toddler
In the fields out on the farm,
Playing in a boxcar
With a kitten and some yarn.”

“Gus likes CATS???
I thought Dalmatians hung with horses!!!
... Did Lassie wear a dress?”
Then Max explained extortion.


“The sky began to rumble,”
As Chief continued on,
“When your mother ran for cover
With your brother in the barn.

There was an awful lot of lightning,
And some heavy gusts and hail.
And by the time it all subsided,
That car just wasn’t there.


Your father took off running
In chase on down the tracks.
He found you near the junction,
But that train was just too fast.

Your mother’s heart was crushed,
Your dad was torn in two.
For the next 11 months,
They prayed each night for you.”


Then Chief described the funnel
And Victor’s wild ride to Lubbock,
And how the Commander solved the puzzle
That he and Gus were brothers.

His tactics seemed familiar,
Like I’d seen this guy before,
Then came a landing most peculiar,
As he crashed into the corn.


“A storm took you away,
And now a storm has brought you back.
... Will you be heading on your way?”
Asked a tiny tearful Max.

“No,” said Gus, “My home is at the station,
And you’re my family now.”
“Good,” said Chief, “Because the farmer switched vocations,
And they’re moving to our town.”


David J Allen
September 10, 2007


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