We have a bearskin in our living room
it meets me every day with open mouth.
I don’t know where or why it met its doom
my father bought it once and brought it south
he know it was a crime, that it’s been poached,
But it carries with it stories of another time,
a token of adventures in a wayless north,
reminding me, that my father once was young.
That nothing can be perfect; even honest men
have secrets without need to make amends.
Today Sara Connor hosts at dVerse and wants us to write about mementos.
Björn Rudbergs writings 
A lot of adventures from that bearskin, I bet! I would be scared to sit or come close to it. Love the form too!
Awesome and so true. Bravo. It is such a pleasure to read your writing.
Yep… found this in my spam folder… don’t know why.
thanks for digging in there
Wow, that’s a bear and a half. I really like the flow of your rhythm and rhyme here – it’s teetering on the edge of being a nursery rhyme, and I can imagine a child being fascinated (or terrified) by that bear. What an intriguing memory of your father.
He was such a strait and honest man, and still he had his crime on display for all to see 🙂
Maybe that’s how he got away with it!
My uncle had a black bear skin on the floor of his living room. I loved it. I think there is a picture of me on it playing somewhere in the boxes of pictures around this house. He killed the bear to save his family, living in a cabin in the Rockies of Colorado. I like your rhythm in this. It reads easily but it is such an intriguing poem.
I like this phrase: “nothing can be perfect; even honest men”
There was more to that bearskin than just a rug.
This is excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
This brings memories of growing up with stuffed leopards and elephant tusk decorations in my home as a kid…how times have changed.
Love those little family tales with a sketchy backstory – that everyone gets – the ones that keep the wobbly bridges between generations: standing. Great job on this one!
kaykuala
More than just a token but an assertion of the braveness of a young man
Hank
That must bring you great pleasure! It would scare me every time I saw it! But yes, we are most honestly dishonest, if we all could admit it!
Love the story! Secrets without amends… interesting!
dwight
There are a few things that we should’ve left behind in Côte d’Ivoire when we lived there, but the grandchildren have eyes for a few of the items … which always make my laugh.
Object do carry the secrets of the original owners. And keep them in our thoughts. (K)
Shows your father’s youthful courage…what a bold token of the man, and your honestly dishonest memories of him!
We’d have to ask the bear about those amends, but the structure is taut and the argument carries.
It must make you think about him and the secrets of his youth. Nicely done.
(Though that rug would totally freak me out!) 🙂
It is a reminder, remembrance, and it is important to remember even when we don’t know the “whole” story. Thanks Bjorn.
And this is love… knowing and accepting.
I love the phrase that honest men have secrets.
“even honest men
have secrets without need to make amends.”
It’s one of those things I’d allow my husband to keep but I wouldn’t like it much. 🙂 I love that last line!