A number of porcupines huddled together for warmth on a cold day in winter; but, as they began to prick one another with their quills, they were obliged to disperse. However the cold drove them together again, when just the same thing happened... In the same way the need of society drives the human porcupines together, only to be mutually repelled by the many prickly and disagreeable qualities of their nature.
-German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer
Consider the porcupine
A spiny little bear monster
That longs for comfort
But cannot give it or receive it
Tragic, bristling, prickly little thing
Making its way through life like all of us
Looking for love, scared to find it
Misunderstood, best kept at arm's length
But loving nonetheless
Sometimes we hurt those close to us
We are porcupines, porcupines are us
Affectionate but dangerous
Lo, for it is inevitable!
And so we soldier on
Doing the best we can with our prickly unchangeable nature
Deep down we're all cuddly and warm
So won't you consider the porcupine?
