The bear - Oleh Lysheha

After dining in the moonlight,
He sorted the bones —
The small and the larger separated accurately
On ground that was still warm —
What if someone should come along and decide
To carve a hole in one
And make a flute...
To greet the dawn...
Otherwise things were the same —
The wild garlic was growing darker, the blackberries were filling out...
And his paw was still strong enough,
To protect the night...

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Oleh Lysheha (born 1949) Ukraine
Translated by the author