Venice masks

Tuesday 14 May 2013

The Hedgehog - Carmen Bernos de Gasztold

Yes, Lord, I prick!
Life is not easy —
But You know that —
and I have too much on my shoulders!
I speak of my prickles
but thank You for them.
You at least
have understood me,
that is why You made me
such a pinball.
How else can I defend myself?
When people see me,
my anxious nose
searching for the fat slugs
that devastate the garden,
why can’t they leave me alone?
Ah! But when I think proper,
I can roll myself up
into my hermit life.
Amen.

Carmen Bernos de Gasztold (1919 - 1995) France
Translated bv Rumer Godden

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