Wild Logic

photo courtesy of Alberta Nature Photography

by Dave Stalling

I learned myself from grizzly bears,
how they move without apology, 
how the river does not ask them 
why they hunger, 
why they roam,
why they stand.

I found myself defending them,
their teeth, 
their solitude, 
their power, 
saying they are not cruel, 
they are true.

They are exactly what they are meant to be.
And somewhere in that wild logic,
where no rules are written in fear,
no names are used to cage a life,
I felt my own breath loosen.

In the forest, nothing explains itself.
Nothing asks permission to exist.
The bear does not justify its nature,
It simply lives.

So I stopped arguing with my heart.
I let it be wild.
I let it be mine.