Wandering alone
atop Mount Nittany
his claws long retracted
his teeth filed down

The last of his breed
once reigning so proudly
his lair far distant
no food to be found

Strange noises he hears
far off to the West
in the canyon of beavers
a struggle beset

He knows that this Winter
most likely his last
the future reclaiming
—a glorious past

(Lemont Pennsylvania: November, 2023)