Friday, January 04, 2013

The Old Bear to Delmore Schwartz

Poor bear
     His toothless mouth that cannot bite
     His eyes now clouded milky white
     His sad, unending appetite
The old bear’s fallen down

Poor bear
Making wild faces like a brute
Pulling tricks in his charm suit
Panting, roaring, what a beaut
The old bear, man about town

Poor bear
Shambling with his funny trot
Humbled in a bunny squat
Looking for his honey pot 
The old bear of renown

Poor bear
In his sleep lets out a scream
All he ever does is dream
Of eating candy and ice cream
The old bear’s lost his crown

And even when I think I'm alone
He apes every move I make
I hear his sad, pathetic groan
The vast world of his bellyache

Poor bear
The joker with his rubber ball
His shoes too big, his pants too small
They clap and laugh to watch him fall
The old bear's just a clown

Poor bear
Takes one more round on stage
He growls and lunges out in rage
Ha ha!  Too funny! Doesn't need a cage
The old bear's going down