Bear Warning

Here's a poem about Yellowstone I wrote for my National Park collection:

Bear Warning

When we pulled into the parking lot
it was twilight on a September evening.
We were the only ones there at this time, in this season.
It was an area of thermal pools in Yellowstone
next to a lake and a beach, the steam from the pools
wafted over the boardwalks like an eerie scene from the Scottish moors.

Right away we saw a sign that sent chills down my spine
“Warning: Bears are known to frequent this area!”
There was darkness in the woods surrounding the pools.
We saw a lone cow elk calmly munching grass
near a pool where humans were not allowed to tread.

The darkness continued to deepen.
Tom prowled the walkways with his tripod and camera,
oblivious to the unnerving atmosphere.
It was cold, I rubbed the goose bumps on my arms,
not sure they were from the temperature, or the thought
that a bear could roar out of the forest at any moment.

I continually glanced over my shoulders into the depths
of the woods, watching for movement, longing for haste.
A ghostly husband walked through the steam toward me.
Out on the beach from behind a copse of bushes,
a bull elk appeared and walked towards us,
his antlers tall and multi-pointed.

We stared at each other for a short time.
Although it was mating season and we were warned
that they could be sensitive and aggressive,
he didn’t seem to think we were worth the effort.
We retreated to our warm car, leaving the pools to the elk
and any bears in the dark shadows “frequenting the area.”

Denise Kalin Tackett
Aug. 13, 2010
Trip : Yellowstone, September 2008