Love Poem: Beary Tales Episodes 15-24, More Poet's Notes
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Written by: Brian Johnston

Beary Tales Episodes 15-24, More Poet's Notes

Note to Readers of Previous Versions:
There are so many new vignettes scattered throughout the poem that I hope you will reread the whole thing! There are many new GEMS, improvements to previous verses and improved footnotes as well! Trust me!


15. Duplicitous Pear Trees
A pear tree’S duplicitous though fruit IS sweet,
For its branches are brittle, it’S easy to fall,
Best to stand on two limbs with your weight on both feet,
But Bear waits on the ground as I give it my all!

One day Boy IS picking fresh fruit hanging high,
Mom and aunt use a sheet to catch pears that I drop,
There IS crack; my feet slip; I snag limb slipping by!
Bear IS tease, “You were almost the bulk of our crop!”


16. Tasting Honeysuckle
There’S long, fragrant blossom that grows on our fence,
Sweetest taste of the summer that'S not from a store,
'Superpower' provoked, ISn't subtle, intense,
Not a whisper of doubt, when it'S there, Bear wants more!

Attraction to sugar IS always quite rough,
More addictive than 'BIG' (9) it'S said, fruit of the vine,
But Bear Johnston IS ready; we mean to hang tough,
So beware honeysuckle, the plan IS to dine!


17. Tornado Alley
The wind’S very loud, but how bad no one knows,
Broken limbs lie on ground; Bear IS under my desk,
Thus, we ride out the storm though Boy'S dressed in nightclothes,
But tornado hits town and result IS grotesque.

Outside after storm, the night sky IS fire red,
My dad'S worried 'bout store, so we drive car toward town,
Trash IS blocking the streets, so I go back to bed,
Grass blades nailed (2-4) in our house! Strange but power'S not down.


18. Turtle Farms
Our Sunday farm trip IS worst day of the week,
It IS boring for kids when Dad checks out the cows,
Even though drive IS key to a splash in our creek,
"I will not be a rancher," IS oath that Bear vows.

There'S box in the trunk for the turtles we see,
Turtle crossing the road IS so easy to catch,
Don't know who'S most excited Bear Johnston or me,
But for our turtle farm, any turtle'S a match!


19. Evil Under the Bed
Our room IS both dark and cold, back of the house,
Although Bear seems indifferent, message IS clear,
If a wolf'S under bed, bloody cinch for a mouse,
There IS chewing on toes if we show any fear.

The truth IS though grown up I still have this dread,
Though Bear Johnston IS claiming bears sleep winter long,
IS there no one but me 'fraid of waking up dead?
"Hear our voice in the wilderness, Lord,” IS my song!


20. Pastel Easter Chicks
When Easter IS coming 'round, dyed chicks get sold,
It’S a feast for the eye; they’re so fluffy and cute.
It is true Bear Twins bought some but truth must get told,
Though they can run quite fast, lose if dog’S in pursuit!

Cute grows ugly quickly, chick’S chicken at best,
Color’S fade and they poop lots, lack art to engage,
It IS not all that long till Mom seethes with unrest,
So we give them to farmer, RETIREMENT’S JUST CAGE! (9)


21. Love'S A Friend Coming Over
A friend comes to play, and there'S love in the air,
Bear'S OK, never jealous, just ready for fun,
There IS sandcastle built, jumps from swing's arc on dare,
And then hoops we don't count till it'S dark! Who has won?

So palpable; Friendship IS pleasure to shape.
It'S pure joy when toy bulldozers smash "Castle Grand," (10)
Look! Box turtle IS digging through walls to escape,
And Bear’S buried by boys, toes to nose, in the sand!


22. BB Gun Jealousy
A gun that shoots BB's IS pox to small birds,
It'S why ‘Red Ryder’ rifle'S so high on my list,
It IS "pop goes the weasel," bird dies without words,
Magic ‘act at a distance,’ (2-5) in fact, IS its gist!

Don't think on it much but my choice IS kill shot,
Oh, my God, boy IS lusting, but lusting in vain,
I'd say Bear is pro-life but, in fact, he IS not,
When Bear'S lusting for honey, he thinks bees a pain!


23. London Bridge
"Oh, London Bridge IS falling, IS falling down,"
Meter’S off, but sad song IS what Bear wants to sing,
Watching’S fun; Granddad Neighbors (4) shaves soap off his face!
Though the straightedge IS sharp, Clarence feels not a thing.

Now Clarence IS dead, had a "stroke," what to do?
It'S great loss! House feels empty with Granddad not there!
Grandma moves to be near; her canary'S lost too,
"God, I miss him so much," IS what Effie tells Bear!


24. Losing Training Wheels
‘First’ bike IS for me all about ‘training wheels,’
As my friends' bikes don’t have them, there’S pressure galore,
But the starting arrangement IS one of those deals,
And Bear Johnston, (not me), IS chagrined to the core!

‘First’ bike IS designed to go slow, very slow,
It'S much harder to pump, and you’re close to the ground,
Feel like turtle at best if real speed’S what you’d know,
So for Bear and myself best if no one’S around.


Poet's Notes:, 
(2-4) Grass Blades – Yes, it’s true! The winds in a tornado are so strong that they can drive a blade of grass into the side of a house like a nail!
(2-5) “Action at a distance” - There are phenomena we find in Nature that appear magical to mere mortals. “Action at a distance” is one of these, like a magnet pulling a steel ball to it when there is nothing that can be seen causing the action. Or a gun fires, you see nothing, and a long distance away from the gun, a target suddenly has a hole in it! It’s magic!
(4) My mother’s maiden name was “Neighbors.” So in this poem, I am talking about going fishing with Mom’s father and brothers (her menfolk), not the people next door and “Neighbors Gas” is the name of Grandfather Neighbors’ gasoline station.
(9) Cage – Many adults I think don't do enough to prepare for retirement. Imagine what a chicken must think who spends the bulk of its life in a cage laying eggs! Ha! He retires from life very early!
(10) Castle Grand - So maybe my sandcastle was not THAT grand, but it was GRAND to me!


Poem Continues in Part IV, Episoodes 25-33