In Bourdain's last blog post, in 2016, in remembrance of the poet Jim Harrison, Bourdain posted this poem written by Harrison.
BARKING
The moon comes up.
The moon goes down.
This is to inform you that I didn't die young.
Age swept past me but I caught up.
Spring has begun here and each day
brings new birds up from Mexico.
Yesterday I got a call from the outside
world but I said no in thunder.
I was a dog on a short chain
and now there's no chain.
That last sentence really speaks to me and breaks my heart.
Please if you are in trouble, call 911 or a similar number in other countries, for help.
Someone I know did call 911 and the police came to her door, took her to treatment for 72 hours, and she is alive and well, several years later. Someone else I know and loved did not call for help and is gone, so this idea of loss by suicide is close to my heart. I will always wonder and be sad that they did not seek professional help or ask for my help.
This is the photo of the sky near my house that I came up with for this post:
