There is a bear I’ve never seen
Who lives in our back woods
I don’t know if he’s nice or mean
(But aren’t bears mostly good?)
There’s lots of signs he’s been around,
His footprints, or some hair
And battered logs ‘neath which he’s found
Some termites hiding there.

There is a deer I’ve never seen
Somewhere behind my house
He comes at night and eats my greens
As quiet as a mouse.
In springtime in my daily jaunts
I find his antlers shed
And in the deepest forest haunts
I observe his nightly beds.

There is a squirrel I’ve never seen
Way high up in the pines
I hear his chatter, loud and keen
If I disturb his peace of mind.
He cuts cones from the highest trees
And shucks them at the base
But seldom leaves one nut for me
That I might take a taste.

There is a bird I’ve never seen
That sings from somewhere near
His lilting call is sweet and clean
But ne’er does he appear.
I imagine feathers gay and bright
As gaudy as his song
Which greets me with the morning light
And lasts the whole day long.

There’s many things that go unseen
That hide from human eyes
In treetops high, or deep ravines
With colors that disguise.
These gifts of life we can’t forget
And thus, must always care
That safe and well they’ll all remain…(and yet,
I’d still LOVE to see that bear!)

Dean Carrier-1988