there are bears in ruidoso

there are bears in ruidoso
and they can be found all around
if you take the time to look for them

love bear has flowers stars and hearts
peace symbol american flag patch
spirals and circles of eternal life

sacred visions shares her kachinas
serpent deer bear emerging
from the wet lips of the life cave

her other side eagle-dancer crow-mother
also longhair sun and rainbow spirits
rising from kiva ruins like a phoenix

oso mucho is ready to ski sierra blanca
with his seasoned patches snow goggles
and i didnt miss the lone star scarf connie

party animal is politically correct
with his donkey ears and bulbous trunk
like a winged conventioneer whos drunk

a pensive pipesmoking vincent van g’oso
is covered in gold-smeared fields of wheat
bluesy flowers and starry starry nights

aspen bear with ashen stalks shooting
through a blue sky mountain morning
exploding in coronas of hydrogen suns

i honor san francisco with submission
retablo tablet artform of ancestral roots
portraits protector of birds and animals

magic bear is full of love and hope
sharing the pink dreams and passionate
visions of all breast cancer survivors

and i found others as well
like bear chair bach that played sonatas
and biker bear and beary the kid

but i think my favorite was dia del oso
with glowing bones and fish skeletal mouth
paying homage to the day of the dead

i didnt find all of them but i did find a few
and you can carve it on my tombstone
bears…i really am in love with you.