On Snoopy's 70th Birthday

When Snoopy first appeared, he wasn’t very well defined.
The beagle had no bubbles saying what was on his mind.
He wasn’t even Charlie Brown’s; he first belonged to Patty,
When all the other characters were acting rather bratty.

But simple puppy cuteness wasn’t going to suffice.
It offered only blandness in a comic full of spice.
So Snoopy’s personality developed over time.
It reached its culmination late within the comic’s prime.

And that’s when he became the strip’s most polarizing force.
He’s had a lot of love, not least from Charles Schulz, of course,
But certain readers blame the dog for dumbing down the jokes,
Diminishing the genius of what once was Li’l Folks.

Consider how the comic used to thrive upon “good grief.”
The characters would clash a lot and rarely got relief.
But Snoopy didn’t talk to kids and acted very sweet.
He had a lot of fantasies to which he could retreat.

What’s more, he formed a social bridge to other dogs and birds.
The latter never managed to express themselves in words.
Not only did the animals bring little to the table;
They made the kids’ relationship with Snoopy more unstable.

On closer observation, Snoopy still had highs and lows.
His flights of fancy ended, and they all contained some woes.
He struggled with philosophy as Linus often did.
I’d almost call him human on a par with every kid.