... in text:
28 July 2019
Bob’s Pass Over
More than a week
since old friend Bob Dillard’s goodbye
Saying a sad “so
long” to that Blue Mountain man
Who worked and
strolled days and nights
Of his own free
successful choosing
Meeting friend and
foe as equal
In the days before
he left us Bob drove
Sleepless over to El
Paso to catch a plane
With his old and
constant compadre Larry Guthrie
Bound for La Paz
where they walked the tropical
Roads and drank
cerveza with lifelong buddy Paul Tate
Who now enjoys dual
citizenship and permanent residence
In Mexico where he
still plays trumpet in a local jazz band
Bob remembered the
trip fondly but said it was
A hard road
Then came the busy
traditional July 4th Fort Davis
Celebrations and
barbecue brisket smoking and sale
Bob’s last photo
shows him in his barbecue apron
Black dusty cowboy
hat pulled back happy smiling
Smoking those
briskets, more than 50 sold
Then came the
wedding party and forty
More briskets for
the hungry folk crowd
And there was the
sudden death of
His trusted and
constant canine companion, Gabby
And the front page
story and obituary of
Hundred year old
civic leader Vera Bloys Grubb June 8th
And then the school
board seminars in San Antonio
And the breakdown
after these sorrows
And on
the front gate of his friend John’s Olympia Hat Shop the banner
“ Trump 2020 –
Keep America Great” in red, white, and blue
Too much to handle
at seventy-four. His strong body said,
“Whoa!” And the
unexpected end came soon
After a Careflight
from Alpine to a hospital in Lubbock
And several days in
a coma, he finally
Passed Over
Still sittin’ tall
in the saddle
Still ropin’ still
writin’
Still befriendin’
the people
Still makin’ the
next edition.
