Sonnets To JenniCam I, 11

April 2, 1997? Jen's pet hedgehog Spree

Look in her hand. Is that a pincushion? A hedgehog? Strange, but she gives the impression she loves it. And a stubbly beard couldn't be nearly as prickly or weird. Doesn't love always seem undeserved and yet elusive? What we seek (and fail to find) with heart and nerve, seeks us out later, when we're meek. But does he love her too? Would Spree, if given the chance from Jen to flee, cast off her tenderness like so much rope? Digital images can deceive. Still, it delights us to believe she loves the spiny thing. It gives us hope.

Fort Collins, July 17, 1999

In addition to being a tribute to Jenni, this poem is also a satire of R. M. Rilke's "Sonnets to Orpheus I, 11".