Bees Knees

I entered the old farmhouse with much distress,
Having not entered Grandpas house in many years, I must confess;
I have been kept updated by my mother and my aunt, of the terrible fortune the Lord sometimes weaves,
For years now, Grandpa has had Alzheimers disease.

Mom took me by the hand, practically dragging me along,
Dozens of people were in the house, but I did not know most of the throng;
Opening the creaking door, mom gently pushed me through,
The door shut behind me--leaving me alone with him--and I did not know what to say or do.

Grandpa was in his bed, looking frail and very weak,
His head was propped with pillows, and his eyes focused in and out, and I doubted at this stage that he could speak;
I stood there, a man of 30, more afraid of him now than when I was a boy,
In fact when I was young, he took me kite-flying, hunting, and made me many special toys.

I watched Grandpa, feeling so much empathy for this once strong man,
Then his eyes zeroed in on me, and I became so wobbly, I was not certain I could stand;
As if it caused him much effort and pain, he muttered two words:
BEES KNEES, he uttered, and my eyes grew wide at what I had heard.

Grandpa had loved to tell me stories on our adventures, hikes and walks,
He would speak of fighting in World War Two, courting Grandma, and the like...oh, how he would talk!
But there was one particular story, when he was six-years-old,
About a Newfoundland dog that had been his best friend, as I was told.

Grandpa's father had been coarse, a mean drunk,
And Grandpa had lived his first six years with a heart that was sunk;
But his uncle was a nice man, always looking on the bright side,
I could almost envision that kindly smile, a mile wide.

One afternoon my great-uncle took Grandpa to a neighboring farm,
In the barn was a female Newfoundland trying to keep her scrambling puppies warm;
His uncle told him he could have the pick of the litter, WHICHEVER ONE YOU WANT,
The other puppies ran from him, but not the runt.

My uncle tried to persuade him otherwise, not sure the pup would live,
But he had no idea how much pent-up love Grandpa had to give;
Naming the pup Bees Knees that very day,
He had found someone to be a friend...that would forever stay.

Nursing the puppy back to health quickly, the Newfoundland grew bigger than the standard 140-pound size,
Boy and dog competing against the world, and their mutual love was the prize;
For two years canine and boy were inseparable,
Then one sunny afternoon came the unthinkable.

While fishing at his favorite river, Grandpa spotted a frog nearby,
Reaching for it, he slipped on some moss, and tumbled into the currents with a cry;
Being swept along quickly, Grandpas head sank from view,
Screaming and swallowing water, the boy was sure he was through.

Suddenly a dark mass was beside him...a savior,
The dog pulled and pushed, granting his master the ultimate favor;
Grandpa soon found himself in shallow water, and was able to crawl up the bank,
But the dog was gone, washed away...no one left to thank.

Grandpa told me that story when I was very young, with tears in his eyes,
Eighty years later, on his deathbed, I could see the loss could still make him cry;
As I heard his raspy breathing freeze,
I hoped on the Other Side he would find a Newfoundland by the name of Bees Knees.