Are you part beast? Part
magical bear?
Do you long for twilight dens
and caves underneath the earth
in the autumn?
I, myself, crave a comb or two
of honey, with an occasional bee,
as a snack in the evening.
Did you ever study books upon
the craft of war?
Or, perhaps, you prefer
hand-to-hand combat?
Isn't it wonderful to have a
rough, sturdy tree upon which
to scratch your unreachable
back?
And, yes, I, too, enjoy fruit
pies aesthetically placed
upon a red and white checkered
tablecloth,
at the edge of the woods, in
the middle of the summer.
Have you ever been plagued by a
thorn caught
in between the pads of your
paw?
Or haunted by the smell of
fresh fish?
Or restless in your sleep,
dreaming your skin
has been caught on a branch and
as you tug and as you pull,
your skin peels away from you,
off of you,
and beneath your dark fur, you
are someone pale and fragile,
entirely different, although
familiar as well?
I dream that too. And when I
dream it, I awaken in tears.
Do you believe in tree
climbing? Theodore Roosevelt?
Chinese medicine?
Would you ever allow a Saint to
ride upon your broad back?
Once, when I was young, I rode
a bicycle in a circle
with a ridiculous hat upon my
head. There was applause,
but I pretended not to hear it.
Have you ever gone into a
stranger's house
and checked out their
refrigerator, peeked into their closets,
looked into the medicine
cabinet?
Have you ever found a stranger
sleeping in your bed?
Do you attend tea parties?
Square dances? Poetry readings?
Are you grumpy in the mornings
when you are first awakened?
Or in the evenings when the day
has been too long?
I, also, believe in naps and
hugs and the beauty of roses,
I, too, believe in love and
light and life, even if it is denied to me.
Are you a Prince in disguise?
Or only a soldier?
Would you marry for salvation?
Or love for redemption?
Do you grunt with excitement,
roar in anger,
occasionally chase butterflies?
Do you look at the night sky
and see me there?
Do you long, as much as I long,
for a magic to cure it all?
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