Twiglet the Piglet

Once upon a farm there was a pint-size baby piglet
Some people bought her boldly and fondly called her “Twiglet”
They didn’t know a lot about their latest acquisition
And thought she would adapt to them and trust their intuition
The breeder told them Twiglet’s Mum rejected all her litter,
Encouraged them to take her on and help her feel much fitter
It was a blatant lie and just designed to make a deal
The facts are fairly easy for a «breeder» to conceal
They adopted her and took her home, her bed was nice and roomy
But Twiglet was indifferent – her expression truly gloomy
The breeder claimed «a bottle-baby bonds with you quite fast»
But Twiglet missed her Mum and thought that she had been outcast
Her mother would have weaned her and taught her what to do
But the family thought she’d teach herself to eat and sleep and pooh
They simply couldn’t understand why Twiglet was so sad
She had the chance to live with them and ought to feel quite glad
She wouldn’t eat the fodder, and they could see her growing weak
So, they tried to bottle-feed her but this piggy wouldn’t squeak
There was no way little Twiglet was going to eat from a glass bottle
She’d rather have her Mummy, then she’d suck her milk full throttle
She clearly wasn’t healthy and they didn’t have a clue
They could see her going downhill and their pessimism grew
Reluctantly they realised she needed proper care
So they brought her to a vet who gave them all a real scare
For, Twiglet was so fragile and could very well be dying
The family was shaken up – they really had been trying
It was grossly irresponsible to buy a baby creature
Without the slightest knowledge of her every porky feature
Happily, the vet had links to a specialist for swine
Who gave Twiglet the attention one should never undermine
With enormous dedication, fortitude and savoir-faire
He saved our little Twiglet – brought her round with tender care
It was a notable revival on her path to stay alive
But now she is magnificent and learning how to thrive
She’ll never know how near she was to giving one last squeak
No thanks to thorough ignorance and a money-grabbing freak
Twiglet and her Mum will sadly never meet again
They didn’t choose to separate but must endure the pain
But looking on the bright side, she’s a joyful little soul
She runs around so full of fun, you can see her world is whole
It’s wonderful to watch her relish her newfound existence
Among such loving carers, and their genuine persistence
Adoption isn’t always what it seems to many folk
From my own experience, it was anything but a joke
For a meaningful, accomplished life there is no guarantee
You can’t rely on features of your genetic pedigree
An alien environment for the first few years of life
Takes a lifetime to correct and not without substantial strife
For Twiglet all is well since her world vastly improved
You only have to watch her and become extremely moved

Photo: Unsplash / Christoph Carson