A big she-bear sleeps in a den she dug
Under a sycamore deep in the smoky mountains,
And I am just one of the cubs she bore
While she slept in a state of hibernation.

My brother and sister cub and I
Sense the rich colostrum
Up high on our mother bear,
And even with our eyes still unopen we know
That we need this. We struggle to go to where it is.
Our great mother succors our every need,
Even as she sleeps.

Mother Bear dreams, and we do, too.
We smile alive and full and know
That as we dream and wake and nurse,
Our mama bear sleeps, yet cares for us
Well into springtime, when everything will change.
Yet, mama bear's care will be fiercely the same
When she wakes.

-jenn