1.
Consider carefully your weapon,
the appropriate caliber.
Too high can damage the meat, the rich
history of the ice and slide. Trust
in your accuracy,
in the story your father told you:
the largest grizzly in history
taken down by a single,
well-placed shot,
a small caliber rifle,
the bullet entering the eye
without fuss or mess.
Trust in your father.
2.
Find your target. Sight your scope.
Take account of the distance,
the wind speed and direction.
Use the word “clicks.”
3.
Lead the target, 10-20 years at least,
a few inches, a foot,
maybe more. Track the terminus,
measure the weather, the rise and fall
of oceans, the advance and retreat,
all we do not know.
Consider the awful possibilities.
4.
Take a deep breath.
Hold. Steady
your shoulder, your aim.
Let it out slow.
Slow. Now
squeeze the trigger.
Take the shot.
5.
Or don’t.
Nothing you do here makes any difference.
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