black toast and white tea
sat there on a small round plate
with a dancing black bear
above the bear
the sky was night blue
and the stars were yellow
as a flame shot down
and singed the bear’s tail
i was shocked
but not surprised
i’d seen it before
i just didn’t register it
other plates had been
spinning and moving
before my eyes
i hadn’t noticed that either
but when a loud loud bell
rang in my bedroom
in the middle of the night
finally, i sat up
three circles of dancing bears
quiet bears
i’ve never heard a bear talk
have you
the circles finally spun up
and into the sky
then out of sight
a slight presence remained
and i knew it was oye
the protector of cemeteries
the one who receives the bodies
i’d asked her to give me a sign
i’d been calling her for days
because i didn’t believe
and here she was
