Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
We've written about all sorts of symbols here at Shmoop, but squirrel poetry is officially a first for us. It's no surprise, though, that in a book obsessed with words and language (check out the "Themes" section if you don't believe us), one of the squirrel's superhero powers is writing poetry. From typing random words to figuring out how to string them together in a poem, Ulysses blows everyone's mind with his wordsmith skills. So right off the bat, squirrel poetry represents the exceptional squirrel Flora finds herself befriending.
Of course, a lot of the little guy's words tell us how amazing Flora is, and his poetry reminds everyone—including Flora—just how special she is. It's through his poetry that she feels loved, and wants to tell him that she loves him back, so even though William Spiver thinks Ulysses isn't the best writer, we can't help but smile when we read what he writes about Flora. Take his final poem, for example:
Words for Flora Nothing would be easier without you, because you are everything, all of it—sprinkles, quarks, giant donuts, eggs sunny-side up—you are the ever-expanding universe to me. (epi.1)
Aw… Did you notice how Ulysses takes what Flora's mom says—life would be easier without her—and turns it around? As far as Ulysses is concerned, Flora is absolutely everything in his world, so life would be terrible without her; he also shows her that he loves her more than food, which we know is a big deal for a squirrel. So Ulysses's poetry also represents his love and appreciation for Flora, and his commitment to showing her these feelings. It's a big deal for a girl who spends most of the book unsure about whether her parents even like her.