P107 I am a Baby Porcupette

I am a baby porcupette. My paws are small; my nose is wet. And as I nurse against my mom, we mew and coo a soft duet. I am a baby porcupette. I cannot climb up branches yet. While Mom sleeps in the trees, I curl beneath a log till sun has set. I am a baby porcupette. I nibble in the nighttime wet: a sprig of leaves, a tuft of grass, in hidden spots I won't forget. I am a baby porcupette. My fur is soft; my eyes are jet. But I can deal with any threat: I raise my quills and pirouette. -Joyce Sidman