Bear

The mightiest of animals in the woods.
It is said that when a bear falls,
even the trees take notice.
Graceful and free in life.
Humbled and stilled in death.
From birth,
a cry distinguishable
always
until extinguished
by death.
Throughout the woods the bear is heard
leaving prints
where greatness roamed.
For all the ones gone ahead,
and those still to go,
we will not forget the bear.
The mightiest of animals in the woods.


The above poem was written after visiting a Facebook group started by Susan Haley for all former students of Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwood, Arkansas who have died. Susan has done a fantastic job at pulling this group together and it reminded me not only of lost friends, but also of the "prints" those friends leave behind on our lives and the world as a whole. This poem is for all SHHS Bears and Susan.