Rosebuds And The Bear Poem by O Anna Niemus

Theodore Roosevelt, a president of the US,
in 1905
went to stalk bears in their homes.. the Colorado
woods. He killed at least three on
that one trip alone. Perhaps he wanted
another scalp for his belt, or another
bear rug.

When they knifed open the third bear
and examined her stomach contents,
it was found that the last meal
of the condemned prisoner was rosebuds.

As he came down the mountain, he
described the birdsong..The
cries of the innocent mammals
had subsided.

What had been her crime?
They did not even know her name.
God and the angels and a few holy
ones know the names of
the victims of human lust for blood.
Wherever she is now, God bless her.

************
(Thank you to Edmund Morris for
passing on the contents of the bear's
stomach in his book)