From Invasive Species. Published by Buckrider Books in 2014.

BEARS COULD BE ANYWHERE

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On the subway at rush hour. 

Between couch cushions. 

In the drawer with dull pencils 

and batteries and nothing 

you need. In the eavestrough. 

On a soccer field 

during a lightning storm. 

In the pocket of your dirty jeans, 

your unlaced sneakers. 

Run a hand under the sheets 

before bedtime. Bears prefer to sleep 

on Egyptian cotton. 

They can usually tell if it’s cheap.

BEARS STARTLE EASILY

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In conditions of hampered visibility, 

braid willow in your hair. 

Floss with alder. Line your eyelids 

with nightshade. Sing jazz standards 

in the key of C or D-flat major. 

If you must tell a bear 

about your hysterectomy, 

your son’s defection from the military 

academy, speak quietly 

but with conviction. 

Never let them smell your Ativan.

KEEP YOUR CAMPSITE CLEAN

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Bundles of unattended clothing

invite curious bears.

The wilderness is not a thrift store

parking lot. A grizzly in floral skirts

and pearls is not just “going through a phase.”

Individuals are often spotted near high school

proms and costume departments.

Their fur may start to thin.

They may become dependent on polyester.

Eventually, such bears must be destroyed.  

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