Bear

The mouth of the hairy beast
is an upturned T;
not T for treachery or teeth.
T for tears, tenderness, touch.
T for tame.

The nose of the hairy beast
is a plump black Y.
Why not approach, why not stroke,
why not consummate
this urge?

The eyes of the hairy beast
arrest like punctuation:
not a colon, not a comma
not parentheses,
but two full stops.