A marble face
Is love in stone
For one who placed
Their faith alone
In hammer – chisel – hands –
To meet the very spine
Of mountain’s steady stance
And struggle soul and mind
For more than they could plan – far more!
For more than they knew they’d achieve!
Their work began deep in their core,
For first of all they need believe
That even though their stone
Was blank as it could be,
In it as in their own
Sound body lay a seed.
What honored place
Deserves the art
That shows stone face
And claims a heart?

If something don’t come out right,
Well, it still came out.
That’s good enough to better
It without a doubt.
Though with doubt is fine as well
If out it’ll come.
Where something goes may mean more
Than where it comes from.

Thirty-Toed Hedgehog
It remains unclear why it has so many toes. The oddest part is there is no predicting how many toes will be on each foot. Typically the low end is three toes and the higher is twenty. Sometimes when you get a lot of toes on one or more feet the hedgehog will not have its full complement of four legs. There are reports of one-legged, thirty-toed hedgehogs in the wild but none have been officially documented.

Greater Potato Hedgehog
Most hedgehogs are nocturnal because their predators are more active during the day and it’s just more of a party at night. The GPH takes it further and is only active on moonless nights. You may spot one the night of a new moon or on stormy nights when clouds obscure any light. As a result, on the rare occasions that this hedgehog is seen it’s often no more than a quick glimpse. Little is known about it.

Rhea Hedgehog
Smells like ammonia. Keep it away from bleach. Might actually be a moonrat as they are closely related to hedgehogs.

Lesser Plum Hedgehog
All hedgehogs have thousands of spikes or quills that help protect them from predators (they do not shoot them, so end that rumor). The LPH is rather more concerned with not unintentionally harming someone than defending itself. Because of this, it spends a great deal of time covering its spikes with softer things. You may see one shuffle by covered in acorns, bits of styrofoam or whatever else it finds. They do prefer to load up on snacks when they can and are especially fond of spiking plums for later.

Common Garden Hedgehog
Found in many gardens, they are often invited in by the garden owners who know they will eat pests that plague their plants. The way to attract and keep these hedgehogs in a garden is to find a garden gnome to their liking. There’s no predicting what your hedgehogs will find attractive (we’re all unique) so you may have to try a wide variety. May your garden be full of gnomes, hedgehogs and healthy plants!

Button Nose Hedgehog
Their name does not come from the shape of their nose, rather from the odd habit of sewing buttons onto their quills. Their finest button they loop about their nose. They are typically subtle thieves. One day you’ll find a button missing from your garment and write it off as shoddy craftsmanship. If they really fall for your style they may well strip your whole jacket.

Phobetor Hedgehog
Many hedgehogs use hibernation to survive periods when foods are scarcer. This hedgehog seems to simply prefer to sleep and, much like cicadas, may do so for years at a time. The difference is there is no predicting when it will wake. It may live its whole life asleep. If you come across one in your dreams let it be. Hopefully it will do the same. If not, wake up!

Glass Belly Hedgehog
So called because its underbelly is entirely see-through. That is not at all the truly strange thing about this hedgehog, there are other examples of see-through skin in the animal kingdom. No, the truly peculiar thing is what you see inside the belly. Interestingly – very interestingly – this might be too interesting – I gave warning – no, I can’t. I mustn’t. This is something you need be ready for. It’s mystic knowledge in some ways. A teacher must decide when you are ready. However, if you would do one thing for me, knowing what I know, what I’ve seen – please rub your belly. It’s earned it.

Illustration by DALL-E.

Often the difference between
A chance and none at all
Is believing enough
To put out the call,
“I can do this!”
And risking a fall
For a way into maybes
Where once was a wall.

Rise and shine or drop and glare,
Day has come and with it there
Are people who say what to do,
Including me – ‘pologies to you.

(Inspired by Roses are Red)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Honey is sweet
And bees will sting you.

Roses are fed
Violets of blue
Turning them purple,
What can you do?

Roses are red,
Violets are true
To persnicketiness
And care not for you.

Roses are thorned,
Violets are hateful,
Remember the bad
While being grateful.

Redses are rose
With blues out the nose,
Rushing to roar
In their flowery war.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Let some other plants in!
Why not bamboo?

Bamboo is green,
Yams are orange,
All my love
Won’t make “orange” rhyme.

Illustration by DALL-E.

When Lewen counted one hands’ fingers
She got as high as eight.
Now they were crooked, bitten, broken,
And not a one was straight.
This made them good for many things,
For thumb wars they were great.
But counting proved to be a weakness,
A much less handy trait.
She counted up that hand again
And found herself at four.
Another count went roaring out
Returning with two more.
A count from eight to four to six
Seemed like evens messing with the score,
But then the count was three, next five,
To really make the counter sore.
While fingers are some wild beasts
They don’t always make sense.
They’re bucking broncos of their own,
The kingly body’s prince,
And are depended on for counting
When they might better serve us hints.
Lewen released her hands from servitude
And has counted her toes since.

The only woods I wish to know
Are deep and dark,
Their only glow
A carried spark
I keep down low,
A ferried ark
That leaps to show
The life it holds,
I need it stowed
So I can go
On in unknowns
By tip and toe,
From nightly crow
To hidey-hole
Of diving mole
Or bity troll,
Deeps leap below,
Dark’s secrets grow,
Woods do not owe
Me nothing though
My wish I know
And I must go.

Illustration by DALL-E.

I can’t say that I got that far
From where the wildest poppies are
Before I tripped and turned around
To go return to what I’d found.

A field of flowers stood untouched
And back I ran!  Yes, back I rushed!
So none could steal before I stole
The ocean hills of growing gold.

The poppies stood where they’d been left
Awaiting my befated theft,
I reached for them, they reached for me,
And I was plucked, as I should be.

I sunk roots in the purple plains
And put up yellow petal suns,
I’m where the wildest poppies are,
I can say that I got that far.

Illustration by DALL-E.

New book! Volume 4 of Life, Magic, Mischief is now available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle. It includes 100 of the most recent poems posted here. Enjoy!

Get the book on Amazon.