being a bear

the bear gets loose
at the zoo
and kills a man. a baby.
mauls
an old woman.
they kill the bear.
two shots, a third
to make sure.
it's not the bear's
fault, everyone says.
staring at the blood,
the cotton candy.
an empty stroller on its
side.
the woman's purse
spilled upon the narrow
path next to a sign that
point towards the reptile
cage.
they reason that once
they taste
blood, humans will be
all they want to eat.
perhaps. you doubt it.
it's just us being us
and them, them being
the bears, being them.