Barely Smelling Bacon

Out on the lake’s

edge in the blackness

of a remote mountain

cabin, she sits straight

up in bed peering into

the dark and blinking

to see better. A creature

is shuffling on the rocks

outside, rummaging, and

brushing against the outside

log walls. Then scratching,

is it the sound of claws

across the wood?

 

Oh, that bacon we sizzled

on the stovetop this morning,

can a hungry, strong bear

still smell it?

 

She shakes her husband awake,

who staggers around the house

in a daze from window to door to

window, looking for a shuffling,

rummaging, scratching creature.

 

Deep into her pillow, she drifts

back to sleep, dreaming of

tomorrow’s eggs and bacon. A

slight grin settles over her

peaceful face, while her now wide-

awake husband stands

guard alone in the dark

cabin that smells like bacon.

©Bonnie Saul Wilks

Lake City, Colorado

2019