Walking on the path home, towards the vanishing point
the tree lines frame the emerging starry sky
into a stupendous upended triangle, an arrowhead to ground
it stretches out above me
It stretches out before me

Broad and centered in the epic frame, the Big Dipper, tail and arse of Ursa Major,
my big teddy bear, big mama bear, Ursula Bear might be right

That big dipper looks tilted down, like it’s pouring something out, I thought
It could be poised to pour over me
a mystical milk of plenty
as I pass on the earth below

a few days later, and it’s tilted down further, then a little further again,
Oh God, the contents are spilling out!, I cried
the long days are waning, I keep walking, but never any nearer
to that arse of a Major Ursa,

Is the dipper pouring a curse, a rain of misfortune?
Maybe it’s just as well that I’m marking time.
I keep walking towards that very beary colossus,
that mama bear papa bear
mama bear papa bear
mama bear papa bear
mama bear papa bear

mama bear scary bear
scary bear papa bear
scary papa beary papa
very scary beary papa
very scary beary bear
very scary bear

Now that Dad gum Dig Bipper is lifting away, a little more every day, Oh!,
I meant, “My Prince”, I meant, “Oh!
My Queen”, please don’t, damn dipper, (whoops!)
take fortune’s wine away before it touches, it licks, my lips, it bites
Please I am so thirsty, so sober, I cried

But it was lifted away after so many days, lifted away anyway
with no sentiment, no heart behind the indifferent hand
Oh I missed my chance!, I said
Oh I missed my chance, again!

Or did I miss, or did I miss
or did I miss again?
Or did I miss, or did I miss
or did I miss again?

Or did I miss?, I missed, I did
A very beary near miss, it seems

It could have been a cup of curse
A cursèd cup, of very beary bear claws
It could have been a cup of curse

Or did I miss?, I missed, I did
A very beary near miss, it seems

It might have been a cup of curse
A cursèd cup, of very beary bear claws, I’m sure
It must have been a cup of curse, I said
It must have been a cup of curse, I said again

And again I said it must have been,
a cup of curse, I said
And again I said it must have been,
a cup of curse, I said

It was then a cup of curse, a cursèd cup, I’m sure
And then it was a cup of curse, I said
that’s all it’s ever been

A cup of curse is all it’s been,
A cursèd cup of curse, I’m sure
It is a cup of curse, I say
that’s all it’s ever been