Hedgehogs
By Rhiannonw
- 2716 reads
Fat little snufflers
searching through leaf litter
for worms, or slugs, or beetles
– it doesn’t really matter.
Long and spiny prickles –
they roll up in a ball
when they feel a danger,
which doesn’t help at all
if they’ve wandered on to
a road or motorway:
hedgehogs do not understand
to try to get away.
The drivers cannot see them,
and prickles can’t protect,
so hedgehogs need to keep off roads
when searching to collect
their food to make them fatter
before it is too late
(– soon, autumn comes, and cold,
and hedgehogs hibernate)
They sleep throughout the winter,
except on some warm days,
a sleep that’s deep; they nestle
in some small cosy space
with leaves or grass around them,
until the warmth of spring –
their body uses up that fat,
and when they wake, they’re thin!
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Comments
They are lovely animals, don
They are lovely animals, don't seem to see as many these days.
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Hi there, Rhiannon. Yes, I'd
Hi there, Rhiannon. Yes, I'd noticed the 'U' option had mysteriously disappeared, too.
Love the way you start this little gem; 'fat little snufflers' describes them beautifully. We used to see quite a lot round this way, but not so in recent years, unfortunately.
Very much enjoyed your prickly poem
Tina
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I must confess a terrible
I must confess a terrible thing happened to a hedgehog in my garden once. It was before people like Alan Titchmarsh told us to look under rubbish heaps before setting them alight. I never gave it a thought and yes one was under the leaves and rubbish. It did survive but I don't know for how long, its legs looked cooked. Sad when I think about it, and many regrets! Loved your poem even though it brought back this memory!
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Lovely little poem Rhiannon
Lovely little poem Rhiannon for kids and the rest of us
Jean
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