There he stood, caught in my cross hairs
scar on his nose lit by the sun
the brown bear that had left his mark on my back
I held my breath, my body taut
The light behind my back
The Gods had cast his fate into my hands
He turned to face me
His gaze that of a dragon, flames at the ready
For a split second, I felt myself in grave danger
A host of thoughts entered my mind
One being, last time I didn’t have a rifle
Feeling armed, I stood my ground
All those scribbled notes of revenge vanished
As we locked eyes, I could tell he had no interest in me
I lowered my rifle. Today, we both live…

©Anita Dawes 2022