LIFE Poem: The Bear and Me, by Lauren McElhinney

A warm breeze brushes my sleeveless arms
Outside the convenient store is near silent tonight
A smooth Montana night with an orange sky
I sit on the bench, smelling sweet grass and hearing water crash

Rustling from my left and trees parting a path
She exits the wood and studies me
I study her, frozen in my seat
She studies me, unalarmed and easy

She gingerly walks toward the seating to my left
On the other side of the store door
She sits on her bottom eyeing my ice cream sandwich
I split the ice cream cookie in half with shaky fingers

I hold it before her
She leans over and I feel her hot breath smell me
She licks the drops of ice cream with her giant tongue
Taking her half into her claws

I forget myself
I should be afraid
Big, brown, furry
Sweaty, hot, with my life in her hands

We look around, hidden beneath the store awning
Looking out at them
Red hats, stars and stripes, holsters, beards
Trucks, cigarettes, red faces, and dirty nails

She huffs hot air from her nostrils
I do too
She looks into my eyes, and mine into hers
I smile with no teeth, she does it back

We stare at each other
Her face, beautiful, feminine, timid
Tired, hurt, surviving
I feel that way too

It feels like forever, this staring
I feel a warm tear slide down my face
I feel the melting ice cream slide to my elbow
I love her, and she loves me

I know her, and she knows me
A tear from her as well
We laugh
And laugh and laugh

She understands me, and I, her
We are unharming to each other
For who could be afraid of such a thing
When so much worse is right there