I woke into a shallow grave
A sight not seen before
Two vegabonds and I
Had no more wine to down
So out the door we flew
To catch a dirty crew
Carrying over top their heads
Two damsels I’d never met
Who asked us to follow them on
A roundabout way towards
What none had seen before
Lost we had not declared
Yet feeling had heen long awhile
But in the end
Around the bend
We all greeted then parted ways
With the grizzly sight
We had taken to see
And took depart upon the case.
Tag: grizzly
Bill Xavier Walters (day 2083)
You know, last night
I was walking through the briar patch
Thick as a skunks tail it was
And there before me was a glowing patch
Of juniper berries
I kid you not!
Juniper berries!
So I dug and I tugged
And I squeezed and I slid
I bent and I stretched
Until I made it through that prickly ol patch
And beheld those junipers
And boy did they taste good!
Sure is a change to the worms and beetles
And fiddleheads I’ve been finding
I sat right down and ate each juniper berry
One by one, plucked off the branch
Until they were all gone
And as I dug and tugged
And squeezed and slid
And bent and stretched my way out of there
Guess if I had a smile on my face or not?
Moon at Midnight – Part XXXXXI (day 2025)
One of the fellows came around telling us
That a grizzly bear was in the neighbourhood
So for that whole spring we were all kind of worried
About running into one
As a result, it was decided that
Whenever anybody would leave the village
It would be advisable for them to have
Somebody with a bow and arrow with them
For protection
Because of this
I would frequently accompany Willow
As she went deep into the forest
To find some of the herbs she needed
That had been depleted over the Winter months
Of course, I often had done this before
To learn more about what she knew of the land
But now there was a bit of an extra reason
For me to be with her more.
Though Lily wasn’t quite
Going out of the village on her own missions yet
We still tried to have the young scouts
Watching over the young girls
It was kind of a bit of a task for them
To feel like they had responsibility
One of the many subtle ways
In which my Blackfoot family
Encouraged their children
To take on more of a role in the community.
I started seeing Lily more and more
With a handsome young scout
Named Laughing Bull
He was 2 years her elder
And he would often just sit and watch her
Following her around, smiling,
I could see Long Arrow’s youngest boy, Big Moon,
Always looking sadly at Lily
I know that he cared for her
A whole hell of a lot
And being the age he was
And his brother just getting married
I knew that he was thinking
Of her as more then just a friend.
Lily was a charismatic and big eyed girl
Who had even intrigued me
That day that I had first come to the village
So many moons ago now
And no doubt her curiosity would drive
Plenty of men crazy upon meeting her,
Falling instantly in love,
But for now, Lily just wasn’t old enough
To be carrying long eyes for the boys
I talked to Willow about this
For it was me trying to understand her culture,
She waved it off as if it was nothing
That Lily was still far too young
And if Big Moon or Laughing Bull approached us
With ideas of aligning
It was out of the question.
Search for Peace (day 100)
I gaze upon this open lake
Gleaming as if shear glass
A log drifting nearer
From some distant bank
Moving, yet not at all that fast
Jumping, randomly, in unannounced grace
The fish seem to be feeding
While my eyes keep focusing
On the mountains that face me
For their touched by the setting sun
A mother, and two kids
Test the cold water
Asking many questions in the patter
I sit here cross legged
On two washed up logs
Behind me a squirrel does a dance
Three feet away, we look at each other
And share this moment in time
However I put it
He knows that I’m here
And the kids keep wandering nearer
The squirrel has got scared
The sun falls further
And I now hear distant trucks traveling
The beach is covered
With various sized rocks
Some one might call boulders
Others they are ground
Into a size
Fairly similar to the size of sand
Driftwood is here
Remains of human is here
And oddly enough, in this lake far away
From any sea, ocean, or salt
I find flying low
Along the banks
Dozens of white and gray seagulls
Gathered
In close knit quarters
Around the base of an emptying river
Perhaps they hold claim
To the butchered remains
Of the feast of some giant grizzly
Only one thing remains
And that is his name
For I have yet to witness
This beast of an animal
I’ve seen overturned rocks
Ideal fishing spots
Still, one shy ol’ bear
Now on to my side
The side left unburnt
Sit three long and slender rocks
They sit on the log
The same log that I’ve chosen
All laid out in a row
I can’t help but wonder
Which marvelous creature
Has decided to leave them hither
For me, I am beaten
A child of teen years perhaps?
Whoever it be, they’re safe with me
As I sit here and spy a lone albatross
The mountains over yonder
I’ve noticed as of now
Have in them a slight tinge of red
I think to myself
That it must be that beetle
That swept through this province
And further to the East (Oh Alberta)
Was it spruce?
Was it Pine?
Was it all those combined?
I wonder what shall come of these cliffs
My squirrel I do miss
I can see jumping fish
Smell burning wood
A golden array
A loon too has joined me
In my search here for peace
[alternate ending: This is the end to a marvelous day!]