The bears go through his fridge, he says,
Break down the doors, wander his yard,
Set up small birthday parties for the cubs’ friends
The bears were here then, so they still are,
and they are unafraid.
State law forbids wild animal relocation
animal control comes with guns, not nets,
He lets the little cubs play games on his deck
Locked inside with nowhere to go
But to them.
He built his house here, so he cannot get out,
But neither can its previous owners
We coexist to survive, but if at night
the refrigerator rattles and smashes
You stay in your bed.
Nasim Mansuri 