half-page (#2053)

                          Song of Bear
     
     off with her, up the mountain to the cave where the bear liv-
     ed, and they went inside and they loved each other.  In the
     cold winter they slept together and the bear's thick fur kept
     them both warm, and in the springtime they came from the
     cave together and danced, and fished, and were happy.  And
     the bear wrote a song for the young woman and would sing
     to her, and the young woman was happy.  And if people talked
     about it, they talked about the wonder of a woman and a
     bear livin' together and bein' happy, because the arrangement
     of meat and bones doesn't mean anythin'."
       And then my Granny sang the song of the bear for me and
     said I could write it down and share it.  Anybody who can
     find music for this song, and sing it, or dance to it, is a sister
     of the bears and can ask to be admitted to the Bear Clan.
     And when you go in the mountains, whether it is your
     menstrual time or not, you wear a bell, so the bears will hear
     you and know you are their friend.
     
                      The spirit of beauty
                        has come with me.
                      The spirit of beauty
                  has left her friends and family
                        to come with me.
                     Should her family come
                      and take her from me
                          I would die.
     
                      The spirit of beauty
                          walks with me.
                  I will gather berries for her
               and tubers and roots from the hills.
                 I will bend myself to please her
                will dance for her, keep her warm.
                    I wrote this song for her
                      I sing it now for her
     
                      The spirit of beauty
                        has come with me.
     
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