BearTrail

by Robert Eric Shoemaker

BearTrail
          for Stephanie Michele

As the great bear cries
starshine, starshine
dip one foot in the lake to test it
while I take off my shirt, pants, shoes.
Turn back to me an owl
eyes wide; we laugh:
I am not Hercules.
Comets trail. We get in the water.
It reminds me of a childhood mountain
waterfall. Falls over
nearly fifty feet, then rock.
You think of mountains, sharp
as we sit on a boulder watching the sun set.

I wanted you to kiss me right then.

It’s too cold in this pool now,
the lake we are naked in.
Dunk me underwater and keep me,
drown me and I’ll stay with you,
starshine, crying bear.
I’ll be your bedtime.

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Poet Robert Eric Shoemaker (he/him) is a poet, translator, and interdisciplinary artist. He is the author of three books: Ca’Venezia (Partial Press, 2021), an artist’s book of hybrid writing and visual art; We Knew No Mortality (Acta Publications, 2018), poetry and memoir; and the poetry chapbook 30 Days Dry (Thought Collection Publishing 2015).

Artist Nataliia Burmaka (Ukraine/Finland) is a poet and an artist. Her works were shown in exhibitions in Finland and were featured in magazines such as Welter, Quiblle.lit, Rednoisecollective, Arboreal, 805 lit, Phoebe etc.