Wildlife Detectives

Here we are in the western woods
searching for clues
with an old magnifying glass
like Holmes & Watson
in The Hound of the Baskervilles.

We spy perfect paw prints
imprinted in the soil
at even intervals,
leading our eyes
ever deeper
into the western woods.

We move ever onwards—
further westwards—
never thinking
for a moment
that the brown bear
is right there behind us.