Judged:

2

You once told me a story that took me on a journey
to a day when 3 bears raided your camp as you
awoke you one morning.
You welcomed them with a shot from your.22
You laughed as they scattered from the gun that you drew.
After you cleaned the mess they had made,
there was no more fishing for the rest of the day.
You made up your mind to climb a spruce tree and
reminisce of an age when life was care-free.
While you perched in the limbs to enjoy the blue skies,
the grunting and snorting took you by surprise.
The stench of her odor ascended the height of the tree,
as one of your morning guests was lingering
beneath your feet.
Terrifying as the event may have seemed,
you found the whole thing quite amusing.
While your royal sentry remained in the brush,
you settled in, for a long, enduring, hush.
Gazing down on that great Alaskan bruin,
you felt a connection and a little confusion.
Sometime later she continued on her way,
as she reached the next ridge, you taunted
her by yelling, HEY!
As she glarred at you in the top of that tree,
with a frustrated stare your eyes did meet.
When she realized how close she was to you,
It was quite clear. She felt the bond too.
You always made me smile, I remember you.
Dedicated to the memory of my dear brother David Rickteroff.
Pedro Bay, Alaska