Bear In There

Bear in There
by Shel Silverstein

There's a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire--
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there--
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.





This print was originally design for the Georgina Art Centre Juried show which challenged artists to create a piece inspired by poetry.  Loving all things silly,  I choose "Bear in There" by Shel Silverstein.  However, while carving this print, I couldn't help but think about polar bears today and the shrinking of the sea ice.  Suddenly the silly poem took on another more serious dimension.  The bears are hungry and trapped like my bear in the fridge.   It's interesting how art often says more than the artist intended.

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