We have stood shoulder to shoulder, these years,
like ochre-painted Medieval soldiers,
shields overlapping, protecting the neighbour
children underneath (shhh, don’t let them hear),
our spikey little hedgehogs,
chattering and crying and asking for food,
we stood on strong legs (voices low)
and, as their requests for food
grew more insistent,
meals arrived on open palms,
and there was hope in the batch cooking.