Bear In Mind

A bear is chasing me through a meadow

and I’m running as fast as I can but

he’s gaining on me—it seems

he’s always gaining on me.

I’m running and running but also

thinking I should just

turn around and say,

“Stop it! Stop chasing me. We both

know you aren’t going to catch me.

All you can ever do is chase me. So,

think about it—why bother?”

The bear does stop,

and he sits on his haunches and thinks,

or seems to think. And then

the bear says to me,

“I have to chase you, you know

that. Or you should. And, sure,

we both know I’ll never catch you.

So, why not give us both a break and

just stop thinking about me?”

But, with that said, he gets back on four feet,

sticks his long pink tongue out, licks down

both sides of his snout. Then he sighs, looks

behind himself, then at me and says, “Okay,

ready when you are.”

~John Martin