Joe the Black Bear Cub by Tracey Anthonijsz

There was a black bear cub, he was afraid of the dark
He lived in a place called Yosemite Park

His mother would tell him, “Joe, you’ll be alright”
But that did not help, once it was night

He peeked from his cave, and saw the bright moon
He ran back to his mother, and prayed for light, soon

But mother was asleep, and Joe was not yet sleepy
And the sounds of the night made Joe get weepy

He heard a hoot owl and a coyote or two
Mother was still sleeping, what could Joe do?

He heard a loud crack, right outside the cave
And for the first time, Joe became brave

He decided to go look and see what it was
When he got outside, he saw giant paws

He followed them up to see to whom they belonged
He saw they were his father’s, for whom Joe had longed

“Father you’re back”, cried Joe in surprise
Mother awoke when she heard Joe’s cries

They hugged as a family, for the first time in awhile
It warmed mother’s heart to see her Joe smile

No longer would Joe fear the dark
And he felt right at home in Yosemite Park