Hedgehogs edge through needled air,
prickled backs in winter’s shiver,
wanting heat yet fearing heartache,
drawing near but unable to deliver.
Humans do the same in cities,
hands half-reached, then pockets-deep,
trading jokes for silent distance,
fearing wounds that love can keep.
We rehearse our careful manner,
measured hugs and a fenced-up heart,
confined to barbs in our tidy circles,
wisdom learned – to stay apart.
I learn to live on my inner warmth,
as some nights, beside smaller fires,
I find I’m not so lost or lonely
with everything a hedgehog desires.
Inspired by the Hedgehog’s Dilemma.
Today’s Daily Stoic poem
