Love of Hedgehogs

Love Of Hedgehogs In the garden during dusk Lurks a prickly spiky tuft Shuffling and snuffling too Seeking worms on which to chew Such a cutie to behold Far too timid, not to bold Sniffing out his slimy feast Tiny spiky lovely beast Chewing on my slugs and snails Eliminating all their trails Stealthily detecting them He's my little garden gem Scrabbling through the leaf litter Spiky body never fitter Seeking out a place to rest Somewhere he can build a nest Finds his way 'neath some logs Safe from cats and nosey dogs Nestles down to hibernate Before the coldness gets too great Come the spring time once again He will come to entertain Creeping round my garden path Seeking titbits as I laugh Such a joy to watch him go Snuffling to and fro In amongst the flower beds Turning pansies on their heads Under cover of the night He is such a wondrous sight Shuffling from his wood log My spiky precious own hedgehog Jane Shields