Polar Bear Starvation

A sadness welled within me when I saw the following picture.

The story is that global warming has prevented the Polar Bears from headed out on the ice flows to hunt seals as they usually do to survive.

In this case there were no icy flows for this bear and no food.

They are such magnificent animals; a few years ago I wrote a poem about the Polar Bear that is fitting today, even though then it was the hunting of the bear, not their starvation. I’ve altered the original poem to embrace this new sadness.

                                            

The White Bear Swims

© 2001 Rolland G. Smith

There is a freedom down below,

Where yearnings drift in water wind,

Nostalgic thoughts of Artic snow

Nomadic walks, undiscipliind.

O Polar bear, what have we done,

Keeping you from snowy blows

And hunting to oblivion,

And warming melts your icy flows?

You are the white of winter’s snow,

The warming strength of Ursa might,

A totem to the Eskimo,

And constellation in the night.

As you now lie near water’s soul,

Because the climate's warmth is clear,

Forgive man’s nature to control,

We oft forget we interfear.