Ode to a Newt

Oh! little brown amphibian
Living in my smallish den,

Eating newt food when you could
Cause conditions weren't so good;

The other newt was big and tough,
And you never really got enough.

You swam and frolicked here and there,
But only when he wasn't near.

We gave you plants to hang out in
But you couldn't seem to win;

He'd bite your tail and wrap you tight
'til intervention made it right.

Oh! semiaquatic salamander,
Forced to become a plastic islander

You grew so thin then slipped away
So in the front yard we gently lay

Your body, stripped of life.
Sorry that you knew such strife;

We hope that you found some enjoyment
While in the role of pet employment

In our smallish den. If there is a heaven for
Newts who deserve a little more,

May you find a pond with trees
So you can rule there as King Cheese.

Chee-ee-eese the Newt, RIP ?-6/5/05.