banner

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever" - John Keats
 

 

 

 

The Bear's Lair

five toes meant one thing.
he was near.
I followed his tracks.
passed a dead buck.
probably taken down by a bullet.
I secured my handgun and my rifle.

I must get the jump on him.
I tip-toed creekside.
then, suddenly,
on the other bank,
I heard an air-shaking growl.
my whiskey mouth mumbled.

his jaw opened wide, his body
full of wanton hunger.
I grimaced.  he'd be a trophy
if I could take him.
he rose on his hind legs.
I swallowed twice. cocked my gun.

but he was fast.
me clumsy.
he crossed back and grabbed me.
I hung in his teeth like a toy.
this is it. my last act.
the headlines will read
eaten by a bear.
but no, the ordeal continued.
he dragged me
through the gurgling stream
into bushes and across beds of rocks.
bruised me bad.

when we reached the beast's den,
I feared I'd be dinner.
I saw mama bear
and her growing cubs.
they motioned back and forth
with their paws.
I understood.
they said
I'd make a great rug.

bear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wahkeena Falls
(Beautiful Woman in Yakima Native Language)

bright, white and sassy,
she hops rocks,
dives beneath downed trees.
she has wild secrets but she's not young.
her face is ancient.
I watch her thrash the ground
with teasing smiles.
catch her furious spray,
fabulous lines, and gypsy soft air.
then watch her roll out to sea
in her own patient way.

her lavish air is a dance, a pleasure,
a delight.
Native Americans revered her.
made her into a princess.
I stand fenced in inside her garden.
go eye to eye with her.
her stony, granite shelf
is like a face holding a gracious stare.
tourists come. shoot photos.
open umbrellas.
upon leaving, I always thank her.

in winter her lone body
rips out a rhapsodic roar.
spurious wind gusts bend her legs,
twist her core.
she hisses and howls
yet her droplets touch your face
like soft winter kisses.
I come each week
with the satisfaction of knowing
she is never somewhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

© 2021 K.J. Baker