Sumacs say that bears use their claws
to divide what’s in the way, crashing at me
with fear in the center, their raspberry gums
blurred when the color’s wet.
But each movement is many times
moving. And so leaf rows become black
teeth or claws, and bears become bush
as they retreat into some other future.
What they leave is quiet and the memory of blood rush.
They leave the image of their entrance and departure.
What are sumacs but a memory of bear claws.
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