<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr">the bone dance<p class="MsoNormal"><b class=""><span class=""> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">400-plus pounds<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">the claws the claws—<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">as long as a finger!<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">the brown bear sits on <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">a sun-warmed rock<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">in the glacial stream<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">watches waits <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">with hunter’s poise<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div><span class=""> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">the salmon<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">surges upstream<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">bucks the torrent’s force<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">called back home<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">headed to spawn<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">vaults the chute<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div><span class=""> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">paw stretches wide<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">a powerful swipe<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">with the rack of claws<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">she snags the sockeye<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">bear maw shreds<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">chunks fall back <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">lost to the water<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">translucent bones<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">glint in the sunlight—<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div><span class=""> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">crunched, gulped<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="">fish becomes bear<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div><span class=""> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><span class=""> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Skye Blaine</span></p></div></body></html>