POEM - The Delicate Approach

The box of explosive

That sat on eggshells

At the back of the room

Made everyone nervous

Anything

Anything at all

Was going to set her off

We didn’t dare

Though we all wanted to

Adopt a look

Even a little

Of disapproval

And it still wasn’t enough

But of course

It was bound to happen

The snarly old bear

Sitting on a bench

Growled at the wrong moment

Startled the flitting hummingbird

There were tears

And one should never make a hummingbird cry

But bear he don’t notice

Or he acts like he don’t

But he’s got a long memory

And the retaliation of pecks

That were doled out

In response to the tears

Went on the list

Of problems he wanted to fix

Just another chore

Whose time had come

I’d like to think there is a solution

That the bird and the beast

Can find some common ground

But bears should not be prodded

And hummingbirds . . .

Well, they don’t stick around