Hedgehog

Jerry H. Jenkins

You call me urchin, hedgehog, porcupine.
You claim my quills protect me when I fall;
I suck cows dry; collect grapes on my spines;
Plutarch said one day he saw me crawl,
with grapes I harvested, beneath a wall
to ferment them to wine. The godly say
I seek Christ's own true vine, His love, His way,
my quills the thorns that once tormented Him,
but some claim I'm the Devil in disguise -
I ambush sinful men to harvest them
and hoard their souls in Hell, impale their eyes
upon my quills, plump white fruits on a stem.
Think of me in these conflicting roles
as Janus at the doorway of your souls.

Jerry H. Jenkins