audio link
The bear came to my table
Strong and able
Telling of the field and meadow
All with great longing he
Wanting company and tea
a very sociable fellow
He drank my wine
Ate my loaf in time
Whilst visiting for the day
Wanting to play an affable host
and turning white as a ghost
I invited him to stay
He taught me how to hunt and fish
For berries in the chocolate ice cream dish
He waxed philosophical
Then lectured on earth and religion
Making points to man with precision
Of saints, and Shakespeare metaphysical
Though gruff and snorting
With fearful cavorting
He meant no harm you see
By and by as hours past
Making all clear at last
We learned of his history
None dared move him from his place
As in the several hours space
He licked his paws and all plates clean
Til off to bed we crept
Above the angels laughed and wept
Watching down upon the scene
When came thereafter the morning dawn
There he was upon our lawn
He quoted me his poetry
But my ears they could not hear
Then came upon me a kind of fear
My mind bewildered at the symmetry
I realized then that by some magic spell
While stumbling into the camp of day
As if still in the night of forest play
For reason that no one could tell
Sitting quizzical on me his wide eyes stared
That grizzly bruin once so terrible, had been made a bard
While I uncivilized, held others at bay
My Dragons breath, and claws bid them pray
A grumpy growl said, not now, don't care
There found in me, my heart and eyes
By some twist of fate to my surprise
This Nick Bottom, who thought himself so wise,
Had in the night changed places so that he was now the bear.
epilogue: serves to make one take note of bearings and moorings;
Contemplating proclivities on the high seas of humanities' knees.
