Ode To A Dormouse Poem by Kim Schilling

So quietly he sat in his dark cardboard house,
that very few knew of this modest dormouse.
Yet his presence was felt by all who knew him,
and loyally we'd fill his little bowl to the rim.
Little evidence seen of this lonely small being,
‘cept nutshells and crumbs hardly worth seeing.

His bonded mate was sadly lost years ago,
as she leapt off a hand and skedaddled to go.
Days and days passed, yet he still lingered on;
his eyesight long gone, a blue tinge they did don.
I pondered with amazement as he stayed in my mind;
Could he be the longest living seen of his kind?

His tiny cage took up a lone shelf on the wall,
and some even wondered if he would ever die at all.
I checked on him daily and poked him to see;
would he move today or would he cease to be?
I was nicely surprised and grinned each instance,
He moved and looked irritated at every disturbance.

The basement it held such a chill yesterday,
I lifted his house and searched for the gray.
He was weak and cool and slow to move;
The day was approaching - he had no more to prove.
I sliced up pear and gave him a sliver,
and hoped his last meal would help ease the shiver.

That sliver of pear was his favorite weekly treat.
He would nibble the center and lap the nectar so sweet.
I left him alone to spend time with this meal;
I knew this would be the last time he would feel.
Hours passed and I checked on him and his pear.
He had gobbled it up and now lay dead in his lair.

Once a spry critter with a famed feisty bite;
It had been too many years since he showed his might.
His eleven years of life is peacefully behind,
a record of loving care we bestowed on his kind.
I can see him right now as he scampers and plays,
his mate now beside him as was in the old days.