Day 2 bush poem 2:
I AM YET TO FIND ANYONE who does not love
this week’s original bush poem by Long John Best from his anthology, Tall Tales
available in paperback and eBook. To me the poem is about loss, loyalty, and
doing the right thing. You might see something else in it.
Long John Best :
An old letter written to a Publican and
his response. I now know him to be Paul Nielsen, mine host at The Tatts Hotel
in Winton., Queensland.
Hotel Letter
Dear Sir,
We wish to stop at your hotel, we will book
in for a week,
If you can only grant me, the permission
that I seek
To allow my dog to stay with me, each
evening, in my room.
Though I realise I’m biased, he is well
behaved and groomed.
He’s the only family I have left, we’re sad
if we’re alone.
We have planned to leave the thirteenth,
can you let me know by phone?
He rang back, and said,
“Mate, I’ve run pubs for many years, and I
cannot recall
One dog stealing sheets or towels or
pictures off the wall.
And I’ve never had to bounce one in the
middle of the night,
For being drunk, disorderly and bunging on
a fight.
And mate, no dog ever bolted with his hotel
bill still due,
So if your furry friend’ll vouch for you,
why you’ll be welcome too.”
YOU CAN ORDER TALL TALES from your
physical bookstore (author Long John Best, publisher Bent Banana Books) or in
paperback or eBook from online-retailers including
https://amzn.to/3gHuWko
(paperback
and Kindle)
https://bit.ly/3iN3Wld
(Barnes&Noble paperback)
Proceeds to animal welfare, RSPCA QLD
On the subject of letters, I do love
2-minute rock songs, and this is one of my all-time favorites:
(Check
out the keyboardist making fun of the miming at 1:30. Check out the Joe Cocker
version, too, which should follow this one on YouTube).
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