Curled conker-like
A protective whorl of prickly spines
The half-grown hedgehog froze
A tiny statue in the confines
Of the garden
Amongst withered hydrangea and rose
Safely out of reach
Hiding its fear
It must have foraged well
To be outside
So late in the year
Perhaps it found a kind soul
Who fed it from a bowl
And then ambled
Into our wilderness
To find solace
In leaves dry and dead
In the corner by the shed
© Kim M. Russell, 2016
Image found on Pinterest
