BEARS
1.
Now come the bears.
They’re everywhere.
They’re fed up with our cars,
our hayfields, our guns and dogs.
They’ve studied our weaknesses.
They remember when we worshiped them,
when they ruled our deepest dreams.
They are hungry again.
They have demands.
2.
"Should you be worried?"
the media query, their hysteria
palpable through the screen.
Monkey pox, Autumn surge,
flood and fire, Putin’s bombs.
And I answer, No.
Since they are back,
I have a single holy fear—
Will I be eaten by a bear?
Yes. This one came around last year. I took the photo of it resting in the woods, RIGHT NEXT TO THE DRIVEWAY. This year one got into the compost, which now has an ammonia-soaked rag next to it. There’s a mama with FOUR cubs in the area, too.
GladErrand 
Yours?!?
Yes. This one came around last year. I took the photo of it resting in the woods, RIGHT NEXT TO THE DRIVEWAY. This year one got into the compost, which now has an ammonia-soaked rag next to it. There’s a mama with FOUR cubs in the area, too.
Or the black flies……