by Julia Griffin

“The Queen’s last remaining corgi has died, it has been reported. Willow, who was almost 15, was put down after suffering from cancer, making it the first time the monarch has not owned a corgi since the end of the second world war.”–The Guardian

“Mine eyes itch. Doth that bode weeping?”–Othello IV iii

A courtier sat sighing
Where a bowl used to be
Sing O the Queen’s Willow:
White fur on his waistcoat
And also on his knee
Sing Willow, Willow, Willow.

“Oh where”, he sang sadly,
“Has ever been seen
Sing O the Queen’s Willow
A corgi so gorgeous
At almost fifteen?
Sing Willow, Willow, Willow.

Dear beast, you were famous
Throughout the EU
Sing O the Queen’s Willow:
The Commonwealth loved you,
America too
Sing Willow, Willow, Willow;

But one alone felt, who
Will never disclose
Sing O the Queen’s Willow,
The warmth of your heart and
The wetness of your nose
Sing Willow, Willow, Willow.

Sing O the Queen’s Willow,
Willow, Willow, Willow:
The worth of sweet Willow
The Queen alone knows.”