A Praise Poem for our Teton Stars: Mama Grizzlies 399 and 610
by Lyn Dalebout
1. our Bears are numbered
610 and 399
a daughter and her mother
five cubs in tow
combined
these Bears were given numbers
the first time they were trapped
marked with ear tags~choke chains
a way of being tracked
2. we’ve watched them trade one cub
traveling
between two moms
sometimes it seems all 7
are functioning as one
3. Bears are sidereal Sagittarians
born in the underground spring
hatched beneath the Earth
in the sign of
vision
birthing the new dream
4. we are blessed by
Bear ambassadors
fierce love and protection
inhabits their souls
Grizzly Mothers
Bear Mothers
in honoring
them
we become more
whole
5. Ursa Major Ursa Minor
7 stars in each heavenly Bear
Ursa Major Ursa Minor
Great Bear and Little Bear
celestial Bears earthly Bears
mirror one another
emissaries
visionaries
~how to live amongst each Other~
6.are Bears days numbered?
indeed
if we ignore their needs
vast room to roam
free
hundreds of miles to move
unseen
our Bears are numbered
so in deeds
we must hold strong
guarding the wildness of territory
more land
that’s what keeps them from harm
7. These 7 Bears
are our 7 Stars
thankfully
~they hold our hearts~
