I Think There’s a Bear in These Woods

“I think there’s a bear in these woods,”
Said the freckly kid with red hair.
“Oh no, but that just cannot be,”
I told him, “There isn’t one there.
There aren’t any bears in these parts,
You’ve just heard some startling sound:
It’s only the wind in the trees
And that’s why I won’t turn around.”

“I think there’s a bear in these woods,”
Said the freckly kid once again.
“Oh no, the zoo’s too far away
And nothing escapes cage or pen.
There aren’t any bears in these parts,
You must have been scared by some book:
It’s only a rabbit or deer,
And that’s why I don’t need to look.”

“I think there’s a bear in these woods,”
Said the freckly kid one more time.
“Oh no, there’s no bears around here,
It’s entirely the wrong kind of clime.
The beetles are what enchants me—
Just come take a look through my glass,
The bear’s not compelling at all— If I met one, I’d give it a pass.”

“I think there’s a bear in these woods.”
“But, why this obsession with bears?
And, why would they interest us?
Our lives aren’t much different from theirs.

I Think There’s a Bear in These Woods

They eat and they play and they sleep
And they wander around in the wood
They’re basically overgrown Scouts,
I tell you, bears just aren’t that good.”

“I think there’s a bear in these woods.”
My patience was now wearing thin.
“Perhaps you had better go home;
You’re getting right under my skin.
I turned then to point out the way,
And what did I see standing there?
In finding the right words to say,
The one that seems perfect is “bear.”

“My God, there’s a bear in the woods,”
I yelled to that freckly kid,
And just for a moment time stopped,
Until I shouted “Run!” and we did.
There’s one thing I learned about bears:
Though seemingly dull, even gross,
And lacking weird eyes or six legs,
They are rather compelling up close.

“I think there’s a bear in these woods,”
Said the freckly kid with red hair,
But, who in this world would have guessed
There honestly was one, right there?
I think that the moral is this:
When alerted to facts you don’t seek,
It’s better to show some respect—
At least you could take a quick peek!