The Bear
Troyer saw the bear
in his field, the second
bear he’d seen
in his eighty-four years,
our neighbors
down Dana Road
didn’t see the bear
in their yard, but found
their feed barrel ransacked
in the night. The guy
on the hunting land
behind their trailer
saw the bear
stand up on its hind legs
and take a look
through the window
of their truck.
I saw the bear
last night while out
picking night crawlers
behind the shed
where I store equipment
and my stash
of brews. In the beam
of my flashlight
he looked harmless and scared
with jet black hair,
he looked vulnerable, naked
and overweight
with a bottle of beer
in one hand
and a fifth of whiskey
in the other.
Poem from City Slickers Guide to the Amish Country, Stories and Poems From Fairview Michigan to be published by QuickTurtle Books® early 2017.
Richard Rensberry, The Grumpy Poet
www.richardrensberry.com
July 3, 2016
QuickTurtle Books® 