The Red Bear

The Red Bear

Anthony DeLapi, Staff Writer

On the edge of seventeen,

In the aftermath of June, of Graduation, and Farewells.

I begin to pack for College,

Next Chapter,

New Life.

Through the Item Dumpster that is called a Closet,

The Cleaning and Revisiting of the Past starts.

Old books read daily at bedtime,

Stacks of drawings of a young artist.

The knick-knacks and souvenirs,

Of trips and adventures.

As you go deeper,

It hits you harder.

Ups and downs pop up again,

Failures,

Successes,

Embarrassments,

Honors,

It’s all here.

However, there is one thing I remember.

Away in the darkness in a tiny box,

Packed away with caution and care,

Was The Red Bear.

Its fuzzy, soft, light red fur.

The cool pitch-black eyes.

This was from another time,

A younger self.

Something that is personal,

And grown-ups shouldn’t really talk about.

This is from the Past Life,

This is New Life.

Despite the need to continue,

It didn’t diminish its importance.

It’s the bear you take with you to watch TV in the morning,

It’s the bear you take into school for show and tell and pajama day,

It’s the bear you make the main star in the adventures you have with your other toys.

It’s the bear that stood by your side,

Thick and thin,

Through the many dark and creepy nights.

You grow a special attachment,

An everlasting bond,

One of peace, excitement, and eternal joy.

Now as you find it once again,

A possible artifact from another time,

The bond remains.

It’s respected,

Maybe even saluted to,

For all the years in servitude you two were in together.

Our work has been done,

And another will forge a bond with this Teddy further on.

As I carefully put the bear back into the box,

And tuck it away safely back into the closet,

I think about these next steps.

This is less than a reset-button,

But more of a next chapter of my story.

Past Life,

New Life,

It’s Next Life.

No matter what happens,

No matter obstacles or trials that await,

The Red Bear will survive.

It’s the immortal part of your soul,

It’s the connection that will never end,

And the bond will be there forever.