VERSE
Oliver, Mary
MARY OLIVER BEAR RIVER I got into Bearsville about five The Catskills blue in the distance. A mill town. I parked in the municipal lot, Put money in the slot, And gazed awhile at the Bear...
...Then slows up...
...Then foams under the bridges and out of town...
...I parked in the municipal lot, Put money in the slot, And gazed awhile at the Bear River Which pours all year from the mountains Lacy and cold, Full of the shadows of trout and fern, full Of the dream of plenty...
...Then shakes with the influx of toxins...
...Then falls willingly into harness...
...Later, in a restaurant, I asked for water...
...The waitress brought it and I drank it: A dreamless cloud swirling in a paper cup...
Vol. 103 • January 1976 • No. 2
