Fifi

FIFI

Little Fifi, tiny hedgehog,

Found trapped with your brother

In a wire mesh, your mother dead,

You came to us with a third hedgeling:

Fifi, Riri, Loulou.

Such tiny helpless miniatures.

We fell in love with you,

Watching you suck avidly

At the syringes of kitten milk,

Your eyes not open yet.

But then, Fifi, little girl,

You fell ill and couldn’t be saved.

You have your place

In our garden cemetery

And you are missed, our little one,

As we watch your brothers

Thrive, grow teeth, explore

And learn hedgehog ways

Instinctively, without you.