Black Bear
Who
carried the rain on his back
Who
we haven’t seen for a very long time
Who
knows this
Who
ran like me if I ran for my life
Who
crossed the wet dirt road without a track
Who
had me look over the same place twice
Who
mussed the deep pool river
Who
reminded me of nothing else
Who
crossed the road and hit a vertical bank
Who
vanished up that bank of trees and brush venetian
Who
isn’t easy to forget
Who
isn’t a riddle
Lesson
There
was a weasel
In
the yard for months
Then
one day there was
A
hawk in the yard
Only
his head moved
In
the tree
When the hawk was gone
The weasel was gone
Geese
They
squawk & bite
&
hit & scream &
Shit
in your path
&
destroy & you
Chase
them into the
Pond
in a rage
&
they float
She Talks
Standing in a
Chain saw repair
Shop waiting for a
New chain to be
Fitted onto her
Homelite, most of
Us standing close
To the wood stove,
Gloves icy, she
Said how today
Oodles of geese
Flew over her farm
____________________________
Bob Arnold
Once In Vermont
Gnomon Books
photograph by
Two~Hands
