Bears
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Because a stone bear perches on my flute
because bears make day-beds of grass
because some bears nap beneath rusting trailers,
their padded feet poking out
because I scatter dried herbs in bear tracks
because they move like shadows
because bears have eyes like pennies
because they bawl, woof, and chuff
because bears plop down hard on their elbows
because some bears play king-of-the-mountain
on steep muddy shores
because they bluff charge when threatened
because bear silhouettes are darker
than the dead of night
because when bears are killed and skinned
they look like me
because bears remember pathways to nourishment
because they suffer bee stings for the taste of honey
because their claws quarter-slice apples
because their shaggy rumps wobble
because I think of bears when I feast
on greens, pine nuts, and raspberries
because black bears are black, brown, and white
because stars that form celestials bears never set
because bears die in winter and are reborn in spring
because bears are symbols of Artemis who is Diana
because I am a bear without a black fur coat.
