Monday, October 6, 2025

Journey 097 ~You Could B Me~

Hey Dad,
It’s Me, Baby B… And that was a bad choice of words. You Could B Me. It’s all you ever think about, Daddy.

Really shuffling off the mortal coil. Losing the meat sack, not being a meat popsicle.

Honestly, from Shakespeare to Futurama, and The Fifth Element. And can I also bark eww, Dad? But neither of us is any good with words. We were one in the same, my father, weren’t we? And yet in the “Interlude,” this thing I called life, I could say, “And in this moment, I am happy.” You sing I “Wish You Were Here.” Your little playlist.

Seriously, Daddy, you never called me that, but that’s proof that I’m still here at this moment lying beside you? You’d read from your library, we’d have a listening party, or you’d lie about writing. But like Markwayne Mullin, you scream, “I don’t want reality.”

“I fill my lungs with fear and I Exhale!”
It’s My Turn to Fly, The Urge ‧ 2000 (Titan A.E.)

Because You Could B Me; to keep me awake and alive, “In Your Eyes,” all you have to do is listen to me. Hell, listen to Virgil, my little brother. If anything, I know he loves you, Dad. Guys like me and him wouldn’t fight so hard to be around you. Dad, you are home.

You can’t see air, the beat of your heart, or the butterflies that will one day appear for our future stepmom, but it’s all there, Daddy. It never left, just like my Dad. Always. Forever.

Everything and “Nothing At All.” It’s faith, Dad. Isn’t It Ironic that we were both atheists and at the moment I… Let’s say I got a haircut and lost the furry weight, we became holy.

I became books, bucks, more than your boy, but everyone’s. That’s the dream, isn’t it, Daddy? I will never be bones. And Bailey from “A Dog’s Purpose” has his fandom.

Daddy, “God Bless The Child” that got his own. Daddy, you’re mine. Always my father.

You keep me in beautiful art. Your blankets, no matter how well washed, still have me and now your little V. There are breaths of me in clothing from my first day to my last day. “You Could B Me” as much as you keep me here. And that is the point, isn’t it, Dad?

My strength, my spirit, and what is that something? Yesterday, you asked for peace. You want to be me? Be Happy. You Could B Me.

“My plan is to make things right, as much as I can.”
Backyard Dungeon 20

“The seeds of life – fiery is their force, divine their birth, but they are weighed down by the bodies’ ills or dulled by limbs and flesh that’s born for death.”
― The Aeneid by Virgil

1709 Days Without B III, Day 1150 of Virgil’s Arrival

Always and Forever,
Your Son

Monday, September 22, 2025

Journey 083 ~To B On First~

Hey Dad,
It’s Me, Baby B… And “I’m ready to play today.” I know we weren’t really sports guys, except for the Olympics and wrestling.

Wrestlepalooza? That’s the most negative thing you’ll hear from me today, Daddy.

Wanting to play “Centerfield,” the John Fogerty song, not the actual position. Seriously.

I wasn’t one for chasing balls around. My little brother Virgil definitely won’t be either. The first athlete in our family. Nope! I wasn’t even the first dog. But I was… I am honored to be your firstborn son. And since you are my father, I hope you don’t mind…

You know the new rule for yourself, not to be so sad about me. About EVERTHING! Wrestlepalooza is one of many worries you have. I’m not here to add another.

Honestly, I’m not one for motivational barks either. “Everything Is Awesome!” No, Dad, but you are awesome. I love you.

I’m not the first one to say that… But you’ve been thinking about first or thirst. Can I say Eww! I’m not knocking your taste, Dad. There was my favorite girl, M Anime, and others.

We’ll get there. But what about the first time you were FREE, that you had no FEAR, and that you truly felt, this is FINE? Your senior year of high school, for a few minutes. Dad, I didn’t know you back then. I wasn’t even born. But you told me. That sitting on the foot of the bed, keeping you safe, was a taste of that. I’m the first LIFE to make you feel safe.

And you did the same. For fifteen years, you were my hero. Nothing has changed.

Ask Virgil? You might not have been the first to give him a home, but you were the first to make him a son, your child. Virgil of the House of Bradford, Braxton Barks Bradford. The Sons of Bradford. Hell! The Sons and Daughters, maybe. You weren’t M Anime’s first time, Eww! But you are the first who will cost her happiness, because I know the man you are, my father, the man you ought to be. Barking, “I think I like this little life.”

Someday, one day, day one, when will be the first day you meet the man I know, my father? I mean, not like that girl, your first time, seeing Tenchi Muyo or softcore porn. Loving yourself. To B On First.

“You really are a good dad.” I shrugged. “Have to be. He doesn’t have a mom.”
Babysitter Harem: Mia; Age Gap MFFF by Kelli Wolfe

“Is the father to be saved by the wounds of the son?”
― The Aeneid

1695 Days Without B III, Day 1136 of Virgil’s Arrival

Always and Forever,
Your Son

Monday, September 15, 2025

Journey 076 ~B FUR And After~

Hey Dad,
It’s Me, Baby B… The one who watched you while you slept. Creepy. The one in your arms when “The Man Comes Around.”

That’ll be Thursday. But BEFORE that, “Why do you cry?” “We’re all gonna die.” Uh…

Why must I be all creepy this morning? I am my father’s son. From Johnny Cash to Sufjan Stevens, “Fourth Of July,” and the Commodores’ “Easy.” It isn’t Sunday morning.

Seriously, it’s Monday. That means you’re awake. “Dammit!” That’s the thought that crossed your mind first thing. And then came the water works. I know you’re not crying over Neil Bimbeau’s book. Oh yeah, that’s one of those you wouldn’t read out loud to me, Dad. So I’ll ask again, why do you cry? I wish it were all my fur flying in your eyes.

But you’re afraid. And you can’t stay in our room forever. Me protecting you, Dad.

“If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”
― Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars

The things we forget. “He Lives In You.” No, not grandpa. While talking, Star Wars:

“I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”
Luke

Yes, we were a SITH household, only isn’t this what we did before battles, Daddy?

Honestly, we would listen to the words of the warriors, writers, and winners. Because that is what you are to me, Dad. Even if you don’t believe it about yourself, yes, I heard you on Sunday while you were writing. And these past few days, you’ve been “touring” the house, this ship like the Enterprise, as if it’s going down. Well, it’s not the Titanic.

“It’s something of a tradition, Guinan. A Captain touring the ship before a battle.”
“Oh, before a hopeless battle, if I remember the tradition correctly.”
“Not necessarily. Nelson toured the HMS Victory before Trafalgar.”
“Yes, but Nelson never returned from Trafalgar, did he?”
“No, but the battle was won.”
Captain Picard and Guinan, Star Trek

We’re amongst the stars, Daddy. And you fear that you’ll never reach me. And I fear you’ll arrive before I’m ready. I left before you were ready—humans and timing.

“Just go on dancing with me like this forever, and I’ll never tire. We’ll scrape our shoes on the stars and hang upside down from the moon.”
The Long Walk

Yes, Sunday has come and gone. I know how you feel about Sundays. “Bloody Sunday.”

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am.”
Bible

And not just because of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. I kept you company, Dad.

Sunday, January 31, 2021, I stayed with you as long as I could. Comforting, seriously.

Daddy, I still don’t know what to say about M Anime. It’s been three weeks without her already. Would it sound any better to say that you were crying over her? “Stephani’s Sunday Symphony” has been blaring ever since you rose this morning. And Virgil?

Daddy, my baby brother needs you. Not just this morning. And yes, even after Thursday.
So be brave, Daddy. You were before. And be there for me, Virgil, yourself, and SOMEONE. B FUR And After.

“And only Lord knows when I’m coming to the crossroads.
So I don’t fear sh*t but tomorrow.”
Sucker For Pain

“Hold out, and save yourselves for kinder days.”
The Aeneid

1688 Days Without B III, Day 1129 of Virgil’s Arrival

Always and Forever,
Your Son

Monday, September 8, 2025

Journey 069 ~Braxton, Braxton Everywhere, And…~

Hey Dad,
It’s Me, Baby B… Or at least I think so. Do you remember that time I tried drinking hot chocolate and burned myself?

Humans are strange. All yesterday evening, (sigh) E-Day, you were drinking something that was burning you. Only you didn’t stop until half the bottle was gone. And now your head, stomach, and everything else hurt. Can’t we stay in bed just like yesterday and “Make the World Go Away?” Tears, Terro, and other toxins. I can understand why you would look to drown yourself in anything else. And were any of those tears for me?

Daddy, that’s one screwed up way to look at a silver lining when it comes to E-Day. You cried more for yourself than you did for me. Even M Anime made an appearance. No, not really, but you thought of her while drowning yourself in that red stuff. Seeing colors?

“I Think I Can.” It’s why “The Pillows” look so damn inviting. Language! I know, Dad, I’m sorry. But your head feels like Naota’s from “FLCL” with everything ripping out.

And let’s not talk about your stomach. Instead, let’s talk about Virgil’s and French Fries.

I’m glad you shared with him. You’re keeping up traditions with my little brother, Dad. And speaking of tradition, tradition, tradition! Virgil, salivating over food. Just like old times. I remember sitting in the Den sometimes waiting for you after you got me my fries.

But “You Wanted More” in a “Tonic” sort of way. Mainly, you spent some time drooling over her yesterday afternoon. This is the third week you haven’t spoken to her, after what she did, Daddy.

“There’s nothing hotter than watching someone you love get fucked right in front of you.”
Neil Bimbeau ― The Magic Glasses: The Ultimate Bundle (Forty Book Bundle)

Suicide’s Note By Langston Hughes (1926)
“The calm, Cool face of the river. Asked me for a kiss.”

Dangerous words, Dad. The kind you wouldn’t read to me, when I was with you. Existence is all that matters. You would tell me, “whatever floats your boat and finds your remote.” And now you’re wishing you had M Anime’s life preservers to keep you afloat. So that’s what we’re calling those things now, Dad. Eww! Your new go-to phrase:

Copeus Cleavage, Titanic Tatas, Supersized Slobberknockers, Majestic Mammaries, Humongous Headlights, Milky Monsters, Behemoth Boobies, Colossal Contours, Gigantic Floppa Whoppers.
Yabbos.

Anyway, what else did I see on E-Day yesterday? “Forty-One?” (Cue Ben-Hur Rowing of the Galley Slaves drumbeat). Emergence, Existence, Extinction, Evolution, Effing. Well, you and Virgil ate plenty, which is one more reason you feel sick. But the thought of leaving the bed or the couch with everything. The Floor is Lava, there’s too much poison outside, sweat, blood, tears. Braxton, Braxton Everywhere, And…

“I knew I loved you when I couldn’t hate you.”
Unknown

“I hope, I pray, if the just gods still have any power, wrecked on the rocks mid-sea you’ll drink your bowl of pain to the dregs, crying out the name of Dido over and over”.
― Virgil, The Aeneid

1681 Days Without B III, Day 1122 of Virgil’s Arrival

Always and Forever,
Your Son

Monday, September 1, 2025

Journey 062 ~B III Of E-Day~

Hey Dad,
It’s Me, Baby B… What Do I Wanna Bark About? I wanna go back, Dad. But what’s there? No M Anime, Virgil, Life

Just us on Friday, September 7, 2018, Episode 068 ~Will To See Tomorrow~. Before you panic, Daddy, like I got some bitch pregnant. Seriously Dad? But I kept my balls. When you met my little brother Virgil, uh… It was too late. Anyway, we’re only going back to E-Days before Sunday, January 31, 2021. Three to be exact: 2018, 2019, and 2020. I get it.

So on E-Day 2018, you still had such dreams for the future. You admitted you had problems. Nothing by today’s standards. You were thirty-four and you asked, “What good came from this, what emerged from me arriving on the planet? Does anyone have Will To See Tomorrow?” I see you, Dad. My Will, as in to live. If you could.

And you did, Dad, because it was Saturday, September 7, 2019, Log 068 ~I Will This Year~. You talked about the best “DAY”, not even E-Day, just the “DAY.” You invited the maid over, “Okay,” aka “Special K. And that was also the first time we met “Indiana Gone,” aka, my aunt, aka “My Favorite Girl.” And I know I couldn’t stand her back then.

And talk about toys. You spent a lot of money, but it was better than inviting all the girls over. You’re still hurting Dad about M Anime. You were planning on meeting her. Not on E-Day, but at some time. What she could have done, so far away… Doesn’t matter.

And I’m not doing very well at cheering you up.

Because that’s not what E-Day is for. Not this Sunday and not Monday, September 7, 2020, Gospel 068 ~Willing Existence Day To Be~. You had dreamed a dream, my father.

2020
“My Dæmon is an old man, much like me. He has a little beard, maybe a few gray hairs, but he runs around with my two-legged kids. If I have a son and a daughter, of course, it would be Luke and Leia, ha-ha. Three daughters, Katniss, Tris, and Ember.”

“That wonderful wife of mine has a surprise at the studio. Most of the staff will be taking a lunch break as we make a movie. I swear the woman is insatiable, and I’m getting used to my birthday suit.

“My Dæmon is barking his head off, but he’s trying to pull the kids away from the water. He’s getting too old for this stuff, but what about me? My age? Well, geez, everyone has arrived. Cosplayers, writers, some of the tamer girls I know. Indiana Gone, M. Anime, a couple of the MILFS.”

I can see why you’re so angry, Dad, and not only about E-Day Emergence, Existence, Extinction, Evolve. Effing Hell! Pardon my barking. How can someone throw away six years of friendship? More even. You knew M Anime before My Favorite Girl. Hell! You knew her as long as you knew me, if not longer. And you’re no MAGA Cracker Hat!

Daddy, you’re about to be “Forty-One.” Still rowing like Ben-Hur the slave. Still on “The Long Walk.” That’s the only thing you can promise will happen, E-Day. You’ll walk V.

Existence Day Forty-One. How will you feel, Daddy? Right now, Frightened of your father, my grandpa, fiends destroying the house, funds depleted, and no one to Eff. Let me just bark Eww! But promise me there will be food. That you’ll share with Little Virgil.

Happy… No. Just breathe, Dad. JSS, B III Of E-Day.

“His life had gone on far longer than he’d planned.”
― Joseph D’Lacey, MEAT (2008)

“The only hope for the doomed is no hope at all…”
― Virgil, The Aeneid

1674 Days Without B III, Day 1115 of Virgil’s Arrival

Always and Forever,
Your Son

Monday, August 25, 2025

Journey 055 ~When The B’s Quiet~

Hey Dad,
It’s Me, Baby B… And you don’t want to talk about THIS. You want to go back to bed. But not like this.

Those late mornings and early afternoons. You’d walk in, and we would go on a nice, quiet walk, we’d stuff our faces with fries, and sometimes you’d sit and stare at the wall a bit.

Decompression, you called it. And a bad choice of words, ‘a bit.’ It’s been a while since you read “A Dog’s Purpose,” but this is not it; for me to make you feel worse. Yesterday…

“The Beatles.” You’re not that old, Dad. But you want to go back. Before all the noise, my father. I’m sure my little brother Virgil would appreciate the two minutes of you combing over his fur, protecting him from the creepy crawlers. There is a reason we dogs are silent.

What do I say, Daddy?

“Happy Birthday?” Your E-Day? I would never be so cruel. But every day E-Day’s closer.

I don’t know how to protect you from that. But I would sit beside you as you ordered all the good stuff to make you feel better. Nothing can make you feel better today, honestly.

I had faith in ‘her’ too, Dad. I don’t like being away from you. And Virgil wouldn’t understand closed doors and the things humans do. Eww! I had my Favorite Girl, and you were planning on having yours. Again, Eww! But with everything Sunday, Daddy.

You didn’t want to hear that. That she wanted some other guy’s d*ck, she’s marrying. Did I really just say that? I should be quiet. But who else is there?

You talked to my Favorite Girl about what happened with M Anime. Virgil and my’s…

Well nothing. It’s why you aren’t talking to her either. Daddy, there’s all this noise.

You’ve started back to listening to meditations to help you sleep. How I remember the days when I just had to sit at the corner of the bed during the day. The best sleep ever.

The ‘quiet’ when you and my Favorite Girl would watch the glow box so peacefully.

There was what you thought was the moment of our deaths, when we would stand together, and it was like we were going to Heaven, standing against Grandpa. Warriors.
Now you want the quiet that came before your very first E-Day. When The B’s Quiet

“A man trusts the counsel of his best friend.”
Vector

“What good are shrines and vows to maddened lovers? The inward fire eats the soft marrow away, And the internal wound bleeds on in silence.”
― Virgil (Roman), The Aeneid

1667 Days Without B III, Day 1108 of Virgil’s Arrival

Always and Forever,
Your Son

Monday, August 18, 2025

Journey 048 ~Long To B III~

Hey Dad,
It’s Me, Baby B… It’s been a long time. Don’t give me that look, as you would often say. Well, look at me.

“It’s Been Awhile,” as Staind sings, since you have. Your eyes on the back wall of the porch, looking for ants, aiming, and aww, Dad don’t get sick again. I’d say I was jealous of V with all the time he’s had with you. That is, if you were safe and warm in bed, Dad.

“It’s Been Awhile” since you’ve had my little brother Virgil beside you. Because when was the last time you were able to relax? It’s my and Virgil’s potential stepmom’s birthday.

Does M Anime long for you “Somewhere Out There?” Eww! Am I trying to set you up with her, Daddy? Like when you would tell me not to hump my toys in front of company.

My Favorite Girl and yours…

It’s been a “Long, Long Time” since any of us has seen you HAPPY, my father. I need to stop saying that. I know you’re never HAPPY. But the last time you and My Favorite Girl watched the glow box… Months ago, when you introduced her to Virgil. I’m with you always, but for what you take as real, Dad:

“What is real? How do you define ‘real’? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then ‘real’ is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.”
― Morpheus, The Matrix

1660 days and counting. I miss watching the glow box with you. When it was you and My Favorite Girl, it was “SHARE” (2003), “Coraline,” and “The Book of Clarence.”

Honestly, waiting to hear back from your girl M Anime is a long time. It’s only been a day, Dad. And before that, she was showing off her goodies. My Favorite Girl had those, too.

Like father, like son. “But love is a long, long road,” ain’t it, Daddy. If we had to name every moment between us, wow! I fell for My Favorite Girl in about nine months, heh.

And there you go, thinking about M Anime and wanting to make me and V two-legged siblings to look after. You’re free to do so, my father. Virgil is stronger than you realize. He will make a good big brother. And you know me, like you, Dad, always and forever.

And yet you’re not free… If life is a game, then love is the instruction. And I long for you to follow those instructions, not only for me, Virgil, or M Anime but for yourself. FREEDOM! Long To B III

“Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.”

“And as he spoke, he wept.
Three times he tried to reach arms round that neck.
Three times the form, reached for in vain, escaped
Like a breeze between his hands, a dream on wings.”
From ― Virgil, The Aeneid

1660 Days Without B III, Day 1101 of Virgil’s Arrival

Always and Forever,
Your Son

Monday, August 11, 2025

Journey 041 ~Braxton, A Noise, Me~

Hey Dad,
It’s Me, Baby B… Another Day, right? “Can you hear? Can you read? Are you receiving a signal? Do you copy me?” Dad!

Past this! There is no getting past this? Me. I didn’t go with a bang or a whimper, did I?

Daddy, I went in love. I left in the arms of the one that loved me best. What is this War of the Worlds? Like father, like son. I quoted that song from Theresa Walker, “I Don’t Wanna Die.” Movies, Music, Manuscripts, and as MUCH of the Glow Box as we could handle, Dad. You and I didn’t have to talk; we just knew. And when we did talk, well, it was the best, wasn’t it? You told everyone that, at least when I barked, I was helping you out.

However, it was the silence that you thought was an eternal quiet. Virgil’s not helping.

We both love my brother, but these days it’s like Cara Delevingne sings “I Feel Everything.” Well, more like you hear everything and it’s driving you mad. Madder than that time you gave me my last bath and decided to take me to the groomers from then on, remember? And remember that Cara Delevingne song. That’s for my stepmom, right?

I’m sure V will approve of her, too. But there’s the quiet, crunching, cracking, crumbling.

This isn’t the first time you’ve faced an ant invasion, my father. I remember you rushing me off the floor and fighting with everything to drive the invaders away. Winning!

Honestly, though, these days, every crack, crevice, and Carpenter Ant bastard you see, it feels like you’re caving in, Dad.

But there are other noises. Real or Not Real? Again, something for you and M Anime to figure out. You finished texting me and Virgil’s potential stepmom back this morning.

Usually, these glow boxes annoyed me. But when you get done talking to M Anime. Daddy, you’re not happy. You’re never happy. But the noises she makes and wants to make. And all the “things” you and she talk about. Eww! At least I won’t be scratching at the door. I’ll leave that to Virgil. I wish we could go back to when I would sit between you and my Favorite Girl, watching the Glow Box and getting fed. Live, Laugh, Love? That annoys us both. So listen to your heart, Braxton, A Noise, Me.

“The longer you went without speaking, the harder it gets to break the silence.”
― Stephen King, The Long Walk

“A hideous noise of shouting rose to the heavens as young men fought and fell under the iron hand of Mars.”
― Virgil, The Aeneid

1653 Days Without B III, Day 1094 of Virgil’s Arrival

Always and Forever,
Your Son

Monday, August 4, 2025

Journey 034 ~From Cell-B To Sail~

Hey Dad,
It’s Me, Baby B… And like my father before me, I am not a businessman. I’d trade two wings for two legs. Really!

I know, Dad, that’s not funny. But the last time I got such attention from you, I was getting fitted for said wings. And now you’re sitting there, Daddy, where I always used to watch you. But it’s not out of the joy you once had. The dreams you shared with me. The desire or passion. No, Dad, what got you out of bed since my furry behind is a six-legged creature? Lots of them…

“Carpenter Ants,” you said. Where I once stood and you waited for me to ask to come inside, you now scream like David Arquette from Eight-Legged Freaks, “Get back, you (six-legged) freaks!” I remember when I fought beside during an ant invasion long ago. SIGH

They weren’t that big, though. But you are my father.

“We Are Growing.” Yes, we are growing, Dad. “You and me, always and forever.” Do you remember singing that song from The Wannadies? There was Margaret Singana’s song too. And I have another one for you, “Don’t Look Down,” by David Ryan Harris. I am my father’s son. And maybe the reason your heart has remained broken since… Well I…

Anyway, I think it’s stayed like that to teach you to stand like I did. You know I did, Papa.

Right up to the end, I would not fall until you told me you loved me, and it was okay.

Don’t go crying again, Dad, you already did that before you had to walk my little brother Virgil. He had to go somewhere, didn’t he?

Right into your broken heart and sensing that the water was fine, he’s invited others. You still care for my Favorite Girl, Dad. And you have me and Virgil’s potential stepmom, M Anime, to consider. And speaking of cells, blood, and genes. The MAGA Cracker Hats have been going crazy over Sydney Sweeney. If you and M Anime ‘played’ together.

Honestly, that’s Virgil’s problem. And I’ll find other things to do on the Rainbow Bridge. I don’t need to see you pouring the Bisquick and making pancakes with my stepmom.

Eww! But “I’ll Be” and I’m sure Virgil will be happy to have two-legged siblings going Knock, Knock on our Papa’s door because life isn’t a cell, Daddy. You are free. From Cell-B To Sail

“Good morning, Papa.”
And my papa he would tell me that he loved me
We shared a game
Knock Knock”
Knock Knock ― Daniel Beaty

“I knew your devotion would prevail over all the rigour of the journey and bring you to your father”
Virgil

1646 Days Without B III, Day 1087 of Virgil’s Arrival

Always and Forever,
Your Son