FACT: Rodger Wesley Beaver was shot and killed by asheriff's deputy, Donnie Spillers, on February 14, 2005, in Lee County,Georgia(USA). Wesley, mortal and imperfect as we all are, did not have a weapon in his possession. In a feeble attempt to pay Wesley'stragically interrupted life some honor, I offer these poems for children.

(1)Wesley the beaver swam upstream
To check out his new home.
He found each stick to be in place
Such was life near Nome.

(2)Wesley had his eyes and sights
Set on beaver Betty.
When she failed to swim one day
Wes caught beaver fever.

(3)Wesley the beaver stopped by the store
He needed a loaf of bread.
Beaver Betty was also there--
Boy did Wes turn red!

(4)The beaver family gnawed and gnawed
Sticks and trees galore.
They were building a quaint new village
As beaver settlers of yore.

(5)Wesley the beaver asked his granny
Where their Thanksgiving was gonna be.
Wes's surprised granny said,
"Why Wesley, here with me!"

(6)Wesley the beaver's tail was sore
He paid the doc a visit.
The man-in-white checked each pore,
Said, "Wes, it is or it isn't."

(7)The beaver family sunned themselves
Until a rain cloud appeared.
Within an hour big raindrops fell
The river surged as they had feared.

(8)Wesley the beaver patted the mud
Traditional beaver work.
The animals fashion dams and homes
A duty none ever shirk.

(9)Wesley the beaver ran through the brush
Then stopped to eat a berry.
Betty the beaver's thoughts ran, too--
Those about Wesley were merry.

(10)Wesley the beaver studied hard
Life seemed test after test.
His third-grade teacher was Mrs. Ward
But he liked his soccer coach best.

(11)Wesley the beaver
Made a birthday wish--
He’d get a gift today
That didn’t smell of fish.

(12)Wesley the beaver
Went to Sunday mass
There sat Betty Beaver
Chatting with a bass.

(13)Wesley and his family
Thought brunch would be nice
At the diner beaver Betty
Haggled over the price.

(14)When Wesley the beaver
Finally proposed
Beaver Betty said,
“All the while I’d supposed.”

(15)Somebody up there
Liked Old Wes
What a buoyant beaver
When Betty said “Yes.”

(16)Wesley the beaver
Explored every curve.
He was growing more and more
And had, they said,"Some nerve."

(17)Wesley the beaver
Awakes with a start
Another day begins, hence,
Another work of art.

(18)Wesley the beaver
Tries to catch an eel
That's the best way to learn
Just how they feel.

(19)Wesley the beaver
Tripped and stubbed a toe
The rest of the day
He took rather slow!

(20)When Wesley the beaver
Caught himself a hake
His friends and neighbors said,
"There's a fish that takes the cake!"

(21)Wesley the beaver
Told his smiling dad
It was hard to catch fish
When they darted like mad!

(22)Wesley the beaver
Tries to never lie
But every little now and then
A white one slips by.

(23)Wesley the beaver
Thinks it sort of crude
That sometimes ugly tourists
Will sunbathe in the nude.

(24)Wesley the beaver
Cooked some golden fries
It was time for a picnic
Under happy blue skies.

(25)Wesley the beaver
Went for a hike
And during the outing
He spied a school of pike.
He could just imagine
How tasty they would be
All browned in the pan
He wished he had on hand.

(26)Wesley the beaver
And beaver Betty kissed
Once, twice then three times
In the autumn mist.

(27)Wesley the beaver
And family were afraid
There was lots of river talk
About a human raid.

(28)Wesley the beaver
Tried to drink some gin
But every time he downed a shot
His liver took a spin.

(29)Wesley the beaver
Kneeled to pray
Time to thank his Maker
For every beaver day.

(30)Wesley the beaver
Loved his saucy pasta
But month after month
Saw him swimming less fasta.

(31)Wesley the beaver
Didn't want to go to Nome
But he had to get a pass
All beavers need to roam.

32)Wesley and Betty
Sat on the river bank
Betty said, "In England,
I'd be a beaver yank!"

(33)Wesley the beaver
Panned for gold
What he finally got
Was a three-day cold.

(34)Wesley the beaver
Checked out Norton Sound
When he returned to Nome
Every soul yelled, "Welcome home!"

(35)Wesley the beaver
Found a fishing cap
"This," he said, "is perfect
For my post-lunch nap."

(36)Wesley the beaver
Wrinkled his brow
As a teen he surely knew
That he lacked some know-how.

(37)Wesley the beaver
Awoke very early
A full day of building
Was his cup of tea.

(38)As a weak summer sun
Warmed the rooftops of Nome,
An approaching Bering breeze
Urged Wesley not to roam.

(39)Wesley the beaver
Asked if they were mammals.
His mom answered, "Yes,
Just as are all camels."

(40)Married beaver Betty
Was still quite good-looking
"I'm going up to Nome," she said,
"So today forget the cooking!"

(41)Wesley the beaver
Sipped his steamy tea
When Betty named the chores to do
Wes shrugged, "Domani."

(42)Wesley the beaver
Said his usual prayer
Some rodents ignore God
But Wesley doesn't care.

(43)Wesley the beaver
And beaver Betty
Experienced their first kiss
In a spot where swimmers go
Just beyond Nome's getty.

(44)Wesley the beaver
Swam home fast
His much loved Betty
Had a foot in a cast.

(45)Wesley the beaver
Ordered hot tern broth
Its "little something extra"
Was one floating moth.