Callisto's Orphans

I met a girl in bearface
stealing berries
in a field where the carnival had been

she ran when I reached for her
but not before
she kissed
my outstretched paw

You have the scent of the wild

most people wouldn’t
notice

I do

I know those furtive glances
in search
of forest cover

Most people wouldn’t hear
my dark heart beating
beneath the fur

You do

You were raised
by humans
in bears’ clothing

and I
by bears
driven mad by the strain
of passing
for human

Saturday, June 26, 2004