A Few Days at Big Bear Lake

 by Alejandro Escude

The carvings of bears were everywhere.
They whispered clichéd greetings
On warm Coca Cola evenings and swam
Across our wine glasses. You didn’t notice it,
But the mind of the lake was still.
The surface reflected the empty ski lifts
In sunshine heat. Pickups and SUV’s
Pulled into neighboring cabins.
Certain things were broken: the TV stand,
The metal threshold under the door.
What to expect from a rental?
Our mood was crazed by our toddler
Who awoke screaming Mama! Mama!
We took our trash bags to the dump.
I thought about ignorance. How it falls
Over the country like snow in summer.
Ignorance in the form of the man
Who only whispered his lost dog’s
Name, as he searched. The dog
I passed on my way in, startled, about
To run onto the heavily trafficked bridge
Across the lake…