the bears were swiping at the river
getting nowhere Look I said
to the bears the salmon are all gone
because of I pointed that factory upstream
What factory they said so I explained
it makes the parts that go
inside refrigerators specifically
the lights when you open the door
late at night with a craving
perhaps for something sweet
Let me show you I said but they refused
to follow me home they knew
I was sent from the state that’s why
I carried a gun and just then
a salmon jumped right into one
of their mouths See they said
There’s no factory There’s no factory
I must admit they made their case
I nearly felt myself swayed
toward a kind of belief
not in them or their world
but something that bordered
on love the lucky bear smiled
while holding his prize in his teeth
waiting to be mobbed
by his friends