A Bear Story Poem by Edgar Albert Guest

A Bear Story

Rating: 4.3


There was a bear — his name was Jim,
An' children weren't askeered of him,
An' he lived in a cave, where he
Was confortubbul as could be,
An' in that cave, so my Pa said,
Jim always kept a stock of bread
An' honey, so that he could treat
The boys an' girls along his street.

An' all that Jim could say was 'Woof!'
An' give a grunt that went like 'Soof!'
An' Pa says when his grunt went off
It sounded jus' like Grandpa's cough,
Or like our Jerry when he's mad
An' growls at peddler men that's bad.
While grown-ups were afraid of Jim,
Kids could do anything with him.

One day a little boy like me
That had a sister Marjorie,
Was walking through the woods, an' they
Heard something 'woofing' down that way,
An' they was scared an' stood stock still
An' wished they had a gun to kill
Whatever 'twas, but little boys
Don't have no guns that make a noise.

An' soon the 'woofing' closer grew,
An' then a bear came into view,
The biggest bear you ever saw —
Ma's muff was smaller than his paw.
He saw the children an' he said:
'I ain't a-goin' to kill you dead;
You needn't turn away an' run;
I'm only scarin' you for fun.'

An' then he stood up just like those
Big bears in circuses an' shows,
An' danced a jig, an' rolled about
An' said 'Woof! Woof!' which meant 'Look out!'
An' turned a somersault as slick
As any boy can do the trick.
Those children had been told of Jim
An' they decided it was him.

They stroked his nose when they got brave,
An' followed him into his cave,
An' Jim asked them if they liked honey,
They said they did. Said Jim: 'That's funny.
I've asked a thousand boys or so
That question, an' not one's said no.'
What happened then I cannot say
'Cause next I knew 'twas light as day.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Edward Kofi Louis 24 April 2017

Walking through the woods! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

0 2 Reply
Bernard F. Asuncion 24 April 2017

Stood stock still.... thanks for posting....

0 2 Reply
Rajnish Manga 24 April 2017

'Chubby like a nursery rhyme and amusing like a fairy tale'. This is how I would like to sum up the poem. Loved reading it. Thanks.

1 0 Reply
Mahtab Bangalee 21 October 2020

I've asked a thousand boys or so That question, an' not one's said no.' What happened then I cannot say 'Cause next I knew 'twas light as day. /// beautiful enjoyable poem penned; superb

0 0 Reply

A funny but strange poem

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Sylvia Frances Chan 21 October 2020

Guest resolved to escape that fate by becoming a specialist. From that day forward, nearly all of his writing was in meter and rhyme. And readers loved it. I have enjoyed his very entertaining poem about a Bear named Jim CONGRATULATIONS to the family of the late Poet Edgar Albert Guesrt Sir.5*****

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Vanidia Ogega 21 October 2020

It is both a narrative and the limerick use makes this bouncy and smooth hence easy to memorize. There are also many stylistic devices such as repetition, apostrophe, climax, merism and so many more. This is an example of a fourth dimension poem.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 21 October 2020

Truly hilarious poem, full humor and so entertaining. I can imagine the poet as a Newspaper Reporter who was selling poems through his newspaper. Verse had always been part of Guest's writing, but he had more or less followed the workaday road of many newsmen for 10 years. In 1908, standing in the rain as the solitary mourner for one such journalist who had long since been forgotten and relegated to the newspaper's morgue,

0 0 Reply
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Edgar Albert Guest

Edgar Albert Guest

Birmingham / England
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