the bear

3.30.2007


he is an apparition that exists only in the magic hour. impossible to capture in photos fully. leaving the shutter open i can record his movement-look closely at the photo below and you will see his muzzle smelling the tree trunk. and the darker part suggests a kneeling figure. the shaman wannabe in me likes that happy accident of photography. i think he is a young bear because of his astonished open gaze and shiny black coat of new looking fur. his muzzle is without scar. he brings myth and mystery to my evenings making me alive and alert because i respect his wildness.


i am low by the creek and under heavy canopy it is night for me early on. i know he comes from across the creek and so i look and wait, more hopeful for him than any lover i can recall or imagine. every dark place pulls my eye. the forest is so alive with movement it is hard not to be fooled over and over again. the creek flows and splashes up little diversions. the leaves are starting to fall and hummingbirds reach for the last of the nectar while red can still, if faintly, be registered by those tiny eyes. black hornets with an impressive nest at the apex of the roof inspect me and move on. the bear, like many things, doesn't come at the time of my choosing and i give up the watch and prepare dinner..........oh yes! wild alaskan salmon on my george forman grill. i did not plan it but in retrospect my unconscious mind was clearly in the driver's seat.

the chicks are inside with me and love kitchen time as they are sure to receive a taste of everything i am having. suddenly the chicks adopt a familiar weird, low and frozen stance while emitting a worry trill. the bear is here. how can he be so quiet? he is more cautious than i, every step tentative. the bear doesnt see me but the twitching snout tells me he smells me or the salmon. he is probably smelling a billion other scents i cannot detect. he is disappointed the bird feeder has been taken in. he checks every place where bird seed has ever been. i am surprised he doesn't come up on the deck. He has before and though i usually let it go so i can watch him, when he touches the dish i am compelled to step out and protect my very very fragile satellite reception; tv becoming as mythological as the bear lately.

he moves on and upward to the west and the night unfolds merrily; heavy in riches and good fortune.

12 comments:

  1. i love you, y'know? just simply love you. and those bear photos .... amazing ... that kneeling figure ... how intriguing ... looks like an angel, getting ready to take flight.

    d'ya figure out the sidebar thing? it looks like it ...

    got your email. thank you ... for you. i will write you sunday sometime.

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  2. thanks for the love red! right back at you.

    about the bear...i have had one almost every year. i cant keep a bird feeder up in the summer because he ransacks them every night if he can. lots of people up here have these elaborate pulley systems that hang big feeders where you cant climb to them or electrify the lines.

    they seem slow but they arent! once i scared him off with the car alarm and he made it to the top of a tree in about 3 seconds. lesson: do not try and out climb a bear.


    (i downloaded firefox. it was my native mac browser safari that wouldnt interface with beta blogger.
    i want to upload some line drawings for the sidebar too but need to figure out how to keep the transparent background.)

    -chickory

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  3. hello

    i like the way you tease at waiting for the bear with anticipation greater than for any lover and then the way that you refer to the salmon as a subconscious 'perfume' almost. heh heh.... yeah, what bear could refuse the scent of cooking wild salmon???
    It's like the bear version of chanel no. 5 or whatever it is that drives men wild... (if you know, tell me please?)

    Well, i am gonna "save" the post under this one for AFTER all my homework is done. Damn, that could be round about midnight...

    nice to find you here.

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  4. i simply find these bear pics - so amazing. and you, too. to be that close to a bear .... wow.

    your blog - its quickly becoming like some sacred refuge. wish i were there, too, hiking along the stream bank, listening its gentle trickling.

    i can hear the cathedral bells ring jubilantly as i write this ... they sing to my heart. thinking of you ... =8^D

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  5. I've been looking @ Trout for a long time now...he looks scary...I don't think anyone can just come up and pat him..but he can sure climb...shucks!

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  6. Ok I see how it is. You never really gave up blogging.

    That bear looks like it's getting beamed up.

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  7. aha...!
    the phoenix has risen. i was hoping so.
    lovely reincarnation....:)

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  8. hey!

    vanille: i bet if you rub some salmon behind you ears you will attract an animal. remember when K9 drew native dancing with the bear?

    lux: trout is a she-dog. and she's actually very gentle.
    her coat is of soft brown velvet andshe has a wonderful little rolling growl she gives for a treat. you would love her. so would bushy.

    red: i took some photos sunday of a waterfall and will post soon.

    lamby: no. but the dog did. *keep it on the down low grrrrrrrrrl*

    foam: thank you. and, er....*ditto on the phoenix*

    ~chickory

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  9. chicory, I'm glad you're still with us.

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  10. This how it was? The K9 morphs into a woods woman? Put that hat on the Rottweiler and complete the transmorgification.

    Commentary is cool, woodwoman.

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  11. woodwoman! i can live with that anon! what? /t already put K9 in a dress. a hat would be TOO much. i hope you come by again. i dont have any spy satellites on this blog so im flying blind here.

    *grrrehrerha*

    -chickory

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  12. ya gotta love a comment with the word "transmogrification" innit.

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