No Need to Be Strong

Ode to Harry the Hedgehog is an animal poem, a poem about love and friendship. If you keep your eyes peeled when outside, you can discover all kinds of wonders.

One 
 curious
 January morning
 when the glaring sun 
 was devouring 
 more snow
 than it should
 I stepped out
 the backdoor
 to toss
 trash
 in the wheelie-bin
 and rid the kitchen
 of 
 rotten left-overs.
 One
 odd
 crunch beneath
 my clogs
 made
 me recoil
 look down
 to see
 a tiny ball of
 soft spikes.
 One 
 tiny hoglet
 feigning fierceness
 but only 
 raining cuteness.
 
One 
 curious
 January afternoon
 when the glaring sun 
 was luring 
 more life
 than it should
 I stepped out
 the backdoor
 to treat
 Harry the hoglet
 with the flies 
 I’d caught and
 have him
 show me
 his soft belly.
 One
 spine
 at a time
 5000 the lot
 relented
 laid down to
 look and
 see
 a tiny plate of
 treats.
 One 
 tiny hoglet no longer
 feigning fierceness
 but only 
 entertaining deliciousness.
 
Any 
 given day
 one tiny hedgehog
 in sunshine
 or rain
 meets me
 at the backdoor
 stretching for his feast.
 That’s 
 Harry the hedgehog
 for you.

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