Well, he had suddenly disappeared,
No longer to be seen;
Petey was lost…not to be found,
Completely gone…from the scene.

Just recently I saw him,
Yes…I truly did,
And, I wondered just ‘why?’,
From me…he had hid.

He was gone for sixty years,
Why was he gone away so long?
Oh, how I had missed him,
His squawking…and his song!

But, here he was…PETEY RE-APPEARED,
For sure he had come back;
And, he was even more handsome…now,
Bigger and with a shiny coat…so black!

I began to notice him,
No matter where I went;
Petey would suddenly appear,
Whatever I did…Petey was present.

Oh, I travelled far and wide,
And, no matter just where;
Petey would somehow find me,
For he was already there!

The first time that it happened,
I could not believe my eyes;
But, as it happened o’er and o’er,
It was no longer a surprise.

Be it a trip to the mountains,
Or to the ocean side;
There he was…ahead of me,
My eyes popped open…so wide!

After awhile…it was expected,
Petey almost travelled with me;
He was always right there…watching,
From a rooftop…in a field, or up a tree.

I began calling to him,
And, Petey would answer back;
If anyone came near me,
As in bygone days…he would attack.

Now, I must be realistic,
Surely, Petey could not be that old;
Maybe he passed on the word to others,
And, to his off-spring told.

He told them how we were friends,
Yes, and the good times, that we had;
“Watch out for her…protect her”,
“Enjoy her company”, he would add!

So, down through the many years,
That’s what they did;
But, I was slow to notice,
All the ‘little Peteys’ and how they were so devoted.

Now, whenever I see them,
I remember my friend…Petey;
I say a word of greeting to them,
And, I’m happy…PETEY RE-APPEARED!

********

May 23, 2004

Aimee Love
(LHG)