Sunday, March 11, 2018

Hedging a bet

What to do on a Minnesota March day: dreary, dank, depressing? Remember that Easter comes early this year; that the March solstice is little more than a week away; that evenings will now be longer as we search for the multitude of timepieces that need to "Spring ahead." Consider whether another Liam Clancy CD is needed to help celebrate St. Patrick's Day in a week.

hedgehogs as sentries
hedgehogs as sentries
Photo by J. Harrington

the sentry up close
the sentry up close
Photo by J. Harrington

Minnesota's dismal March days are also a great time to wonder why Minnesota's only hedgehogs are inanimate and chocolate. Appreciate that two of those hedgehogs are now standing sentry on a nest full of Easter eggs, playing roles similar to the lions guarding the portals of libraries. Ponder about why it is that Britain still has real hedgehogs while they became extinct in North America. Perhaps it's due to the fact that on this continent, we have an insufficient supply of smeuse.

                     Hedgehog



The snail moves like a
Hovercraft, held up by a
Rubber cushion of itself,
Sharing its secret

With the hedgehog. The hedgehog
Shares its secret with no one.
We say, Hedgehog, come out
Of yourself and we will love you.

We mean no harm. We want
Only to listen to what
You have to say. We want
Your answers to our questions.

The hedgehog gives nothing
Away, keeping itself to itself.
We wonder what a hedgehog
Has to hide, why it so distrusts.

We forget the god
Under this crown of thorns.
We forget that never again
Will a god trust in the world.


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