Poems by Bradley Samore
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Red Panda
after William Blake
by Bradley Samore
From Canary Summer 2024
Bradley currently lives in a plains region where some tracts of forest and waterways still exist. Tornados, hail, high winds, and hot summers travel through the region. Some of the animals seen in the region include the eastern cottontail rabbit, mockingbird, bobcat, coyote, cardinal, robin, crow, and grackle.
Innocence
The rain is coming. For now,
I graze bamboo for myself
and my cubs who doze in den
of deadwood and leaves,
not yet ready to open their eyes.
But as late June Julys into August,
the monsoon will blossom
kiwis, rowanberries,
white beans even —
a season to gorge us.
My cubs will follow my tail
wrapped in ringlets of umber,
my black legs and belly
along the undergrowth,
my marmalade fur
into emerald branches.
Experience
Our time is crepuscular.
The yellow-throated marten
and snow leopard hunt us
teeth to flesh: mortal intimacy.
When will you meet me
at the edge of the river?
When will you ford
Disneyfication,
your dam walls,
the fragments of forest?
What is the sum
of your fractions?
© Bradley Samore