17 Comments

We never saw a bear

in all those months

Yet that bear lived in our

minds like truth

This!! Thinking of you all in the US as you approach this coming election with caution and fear

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Thank you, Lisa. We need all the good thoughts we can get!

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"We never saw a bear

in all those months

Yet that bear lived in our

minds like truth"

This stanza is the crux, this alone says so much. The poem is so strong, and the sense of foreboding excruciating (read: brilliant)

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Thanks, David. Really appreciate it. It definitely feels like one of those times when I could get utterly lost in fear and worry. I dug this poem out and dusted it off thinking it might help me stay sane.

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I'm going to second (and third) the comments you've received already about this stanza:

'We never saw a bear

in all those months

Yet that bear lived in our

minds like truth'

So good! And so true for so many things in life. And your last two stanzas are ideas I've been meditating on for a while now. And while I've definitely landed on getting peaceful sleep, I still feel no closer to knowing where exactly I land on 'at bay' or 'in thrall'. I suppose that's what time is for. To figure these things out. :)

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If you do figure it out, Petra (and if anybody could, it would be you), please drop me a note and tell me the secret. Thanks so much for being here. 💕🤗

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😊

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This is so powerful, Tara. Such a reminder of what fear does. I too have been trying to keep the news at arms length these days; I can get so wrapped up in what’s going on that I lose myself.

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A very wise stanza

“We never saw a bear

in all those months

Yet that bear lived in our

minds like truth”

Thanks for this reminder today!

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Thanks for reading, Brian. It has been a good reminder for me, too.

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Love some of the camping/ hiking imagery. Love the last line too - so absolutely final.

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Thank you. Can totally relate to your concerns. In case it helps, this is a good review of the state of play: https://youtu.be/oQskb_Edmo4?si=5vnN3zfg7Xf01HnW

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Thanks for sharing that! And thanks for reading.

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Oh, gorgeous (and so true). That last line really got to me.

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Thank you! 💕🤗

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A perfect meditation on anxiety and fear and so apt at this time. I remind myself of how powerful both emotions can be in coloring my mood for days.

Thank you, Tara.

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The last two lines! Yes.

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