The Hedgehog's Solace

A ground sprawled with autumn leaves,
Like an old canvas on which time has ceased.
Tranced in nostalgic autumn affairs,
Buries insults, injuries—the cross I bear.

I remember the lass whose eyes held a grin,
In the woods, she strolled in a plaid shirt and faded blue jeans.
Is this love at first sight?
Am I bewitched, thinking wrong is right?

Her freckled face
Sets my heart ablaze.
Can someone save me
From this unreasonable haste?

Just as seasons change, autumn signals an end,
And so she left, like a kiss needing no consent.
She was my autumn, my world of magic,
Blissful memories ended in a 21st-century tragic.

In the woods, I walk alone,
Rustling my feet through thick autumn leaves.
I see a hedgehog scurry, quiet and shy,
And I know this pain—this too shall pass by.

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