Thank you, J.K. Shawhan, for publishing my tribute to Cornelius
in The Basil O'Flaherty.



https://thebasiloflaherty.weebly.com/animal-poems.html

Cornelius

The once noble renegade,

the zealous infidel of squirreldom,

the daytime thief of others’ treasure troves,

even bounties of rabbit carrots.

His heralded jaw forewarning of the onset

of another chewing frenzy.

His gurgling stomach assuaged

with each new groundnut swallowed.

This dutiful organism whose growth we watched,

all the while as he watched us,

and whose hindmost parts we observed

whenever he scurried to the next peanut burial site.

This star practitioner of food juggling,

carrying more than one at a time,

one in hand, one in mouth.

This furry creature who met and loved a man.

Who once having been trapped and removed 

from his safe haven by strangers,

found his way back home,

after two years,

and acted as if he had been at the threshold 

of that doorway only yesterday.

This poem,

meant as homage to the little critter

whose time did end,

who, although no bigger than a breadbox

held within him a very large heart

and a very long memory.

This poem,

meant to mark worth

on his short, but notable life.