Man or Bear?
A Poem Regarding the Choice of Threats Women Encounter on a Hike
Man or bear? Man or bear? Either one in underwear?
I, like many, have contemplated meeting either in the woods,
in the midst of a pleasant hike and know which one I prefer.
In fact, I have met the bear while prepping dinner
over a campfire. He could care less about what I wore.
He wanted food and made no pretense.
Unlike the man who chatted away, oblivious to my desire
for silence. I could reason with the bear. Take my food. Please help yourself. I’m a visitor in your home. Don’t mind me. I’ll just drift off in a canoe. Not so the badgering man. Why wouldn’t I respond? What was his offense?I come to the forest for silence, a dose of sun and view of the pond.
Not to meet men. Or chat with others. I come to the water, where I belong. I was lucky. He decided to move along. I owe no man. Not a thing. Not a smile. Not my pleasant nature for a mile. Walk on, stranger. You alone, are the danger.
