I met Bear at the 5 n' dime
sipping a Cream Soda
he was voluble &
needed to talk...
"I got a shit-load on my mind,"
mumbling something about some
run-in with a Mountie—tampering
with Crown Evidence, the purloined Honey Jar,
in question, Jimmy Dean was there, too,
polishing his coolness though he would
have his own Run-In later in the evening.
As Marilyn had left,
I decided to forgo Bear's company,
still slurping his Soda &
crying into the bubbles,
some things never change.

[16]

The walls don't lack sincerity, here,
or be accused of "ordinary,"
what with the bleached remains
of a carbon skull, a yellowing pike head
of uncertain girth, adder-like fangs
positioned like the Bear Head
gasping for the night air
one wall over or
the old pool table
that's seen as many games
as ghosts fly by or drinks downed
in the penumbra Shooters
flaming elixir stars,
a shooting gallery of exotica and potent portions—
crimson Garter, Pink Panties,
the men in this lounge live up to that
with cigarettes bullying the air, chortles,
one doesn't expect to see southern good ole boys
in the North Backwoods with no 'gators
or Biloxi Blues but a gallows to good intentions,
nonetheless.

[17]

Watermelon,
ears of skeleton
wet nose with marshmallow
I saw the Bear leaning on
Santa for a favor.

II
Here's Bear, week's growth of beard,
long bushy eyebrows
still reeking of gin
apparently wanted the penny-strapped Claus'
to dump Rudolph,
spray-paint his coat white
use Bear's fleshy drinker's nose
to lead the sleigh
that crazy night.

III
A tiff erupted
Rudolph almost lost it
santa ended paying Hibernation fees
though Bear grumbled he wasn't
bedding Next to no knot of worms garter snakes.

[18]

Orange lichens, in sun-like clusters,
entomb the Rockface wall
a sheer ascent from the waterline
into glassy viscous green—-
the plummet from skyward
to lake face
passes breathless squadrons
of Dragon Flies
—devil's Darning Needles
threading the air
where Wolf Spiders
bivouac in web-castles,
thin Draculas to their insect host
each hairy mantle black
with burrow moats at high