Polar bears - diving

One day morning polar bears woke up, left the cave, didn't pay any attention to the soccer ball in the corner by the fence. They went swimming instead. "How do you dive, Standa?", asked Northern. "Do you prefer forward dives, or feet first? They spent whole day, except meal times, diving from the rock to the pool. They tried to dive with their front paws above the head, with the paws touching, not touching, with the front paws close to the sides of their body. They tried to dive like a knife without any splash, or with as much splash they could create, so the water splashed over the wall and hit the sleeping seals. "What are you doing?" piped the seals but the bears didn't pay any attention. They were busy diving with their feet first, then with front paws touching their knees, trying to roll in the air and dive with their heads first. They dived backwards, with the behind sticking out. It's wander there was still some water left in the pool. They didn't stop until their keeper called them: "Dinner time!" The polar bears were so hungry they gobbled up everything in one gulp and they begged for more. The keeper couldn't refuse. "I shall bring you one more bucket of fish," he promised. Meanwhile children and their parents, aunts, uncles, babysitters, neighbors, teachers grandparents, and other visitors, gathered by the polar bears watching the feeding. The bears were busy shaking water out of their furs, stretching their paws and making eyes: "Please, please, give us some food, we are starving." "I have a ham and cheese sandwich," said little Alexa. "Can I give it to them?" "No," said her father. "Do you see the sign? It says: do not feed polar bears, and look, the keeper is already coming with the buckets full of fish and vitamins." "Vitamins?" giggled Mady. "Do they eat vitamins as we do?" "Of course. They need proper diet. In the nature they feed on seals. Since they can not have seals, they get supplements, like you, your brother and your sisters." This time the bears ate more slowly, chewing their fish and swallowing carefully. "Stop eating so loudly," warned Northern Standa. "Children are watching us. We don't want them to think we don't have any manners." After the meal time the audience left and Northern and Standa were lying on their bellies licking their paws, and doing their manicure. They were cleaning carefully their claws one by one and between and biting off the overgrown claws on their front and back feet. They also cleaned with their claws what was left of fish between their teeth. Meanwhile the Sun went down and yellow, pink and blue streaks of light disappeared. Canadian geese honked their: "Good night" and it was time to sleep. Before Standa curled up in their cave, he said with very sleepy voice: "We had so much fun today. Are we going to dive tomorrow again? and he buried his nose into the fur on his belly and was asleep. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, Summer 2009

The watchful eyes

It's O.K. for now. I need many eyes to watch who is coming, who is going, who lives here, who is just visiting, and who comes in no good. It's O.K. now. I need their eyes. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, Summer 2009

Polar bears - sports

For Christmas Standa received from Brno brand new soccer ball with a letter: "Here is new ball for you, Standa. You don't have to kick it into foxes den again. It scared them, so no wonder, they shredded your ball into pieces." "Try to kick the ball with your hind leg." "I don't have eyes on the back", rambled Standa. The bears had to make their own rules with their four feet and luck of soccer field, so soccer became more like rugby. Sometimes the ball flew over the wall and landed on one of seals noses who tried to get it back over the wall. So, soccer became a volleyball. After a while the seals began whining, they would like to get their own ball, they don't want to wait for the bears lost balls to play. "Oh, can we have nice colorful beach ball instead?" Soon the elephants began to beg for their own ball and Canadian geese asked for bright yellow ball to remain them the color of goslings, dandelions and Spring Sun. Baboons asked for warm winter clothes. The directors of the Zoo found out since the animals were playing the ball there were more visitors with children who liked to watch, and kept buying the balls all kind of colors and sizes. The polar bears didn't loose weight, but they had lot of fun. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann 1/10/10 Pottsville

Polar bears - home

Finally the big day arrived and they let Standa to move to his new quarters. He approached quarters occupied with one bear very cautiously. Nosy seals were jumping high in the air to take a peek at new arrival. If they would have chairs they would sit on them and just stare. Standa stood on the rock with new supply of good fish. It was a code this time. There was a waterfall to clench the thirst. He stood and stood. After a long time something moved in the cave and out came bigger, not much bigger, polar bear. They looked at each other and sniffed the air. "Are you?" "Aren't you?" "Yes, I am." "You are a boy! Do you want a fish?" "Yes." Standa taught Northern how to play marbles, since there was very handy hole in the platform and they played marbles all day long; using pebbles, little rocks, tree cones, pieces of the stick, anything, what they could move with their paws. They were winning and loosing and cheating. They hardly noticed seals and the seals accepted new neighbor. What about multiplying? Who cares! Food and diet The bears, after having good time, sitting on their butts, or sides, whole day long playing marbles and eating, were gaining weight. The veterinarian took a look at them and he said: "It will not take long and these bears will weight a ton." So a veterinarian prescribed a diet. No more big fish like halibut or code. The bears received smelts for breakfast, minnows for lunch and fresh sardines for dinner. Full baskets of them, but they had to pick them one by one with their big clumsy paws. Of course they used their muzzles a lot, just laying on their bellies. It still took hours to fill their stomachs, and they were not losing weight, they were still gaining! It was not so much time for marbles game - and one day they locked them up in their cave and started to build something - a gym! Did you see a polar bear hanging upside down on parallel bars and sliding on the slide directly to the water? "Splash!" Seals gathered around the wall to watch. "Splash! Splash!" Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville 1/5/10

Polar bears -voyage

The trip from Brno was tedious and long. Standa traveled on freight train and he didn't have a comfort of sleeping or dining wagon. His wagon even wasn't heated. He didn't mind. He had his cage and a whole barrel of fish to eat. They were fresh first day, second day they were not fresh anymore, and the third day they were not good, but the third day was Standa already in Hamburg, Germany. In Hamburg they boarded, with the help of lift, the boat. The bear and his keeper were left on the deck. Standa enjoyed his voyage immensely. The keeper looked grumpy, cold and miserable. Standa loved an ocean on the first sight with its waves, seagulls and fish. He admired sunsets (he always missed sunrises because he slept), flying fish, dolphins, whales...They fed him very well with fish freshly caught in the ocean. He could taste squid, Atlantic cod, turbots, brills, topknots, megrims, flounders, dobs, soles, kingfish, salmons, tuna, herring, Atlantic torpedo. chevy octopus, dogfish and catfish. The sailfish landed on his nose once. By the end of the trip his belly looked like marching band's the biggest drum. After a week the boat reached the harbor, and Standa was, somehow, looking forward to meet his bride. "I hope she will be not too bossy. In that case I would prefer to be transferred to another zoo." A veterenian, a new keeper and a driver were already waiting in the harbor. They lowered the cage with the polar bear into the truck and served him fresh, still alive, halibut. Standa had to catch the fish couple times, and, oh my, it was delicious! He didn't have much time to say Good bye to his Czech keeper. Standa's cage was secured on the back of the pick up truck. New York looked bigger then Brno, and also noisier. The bear closed his eyes, flatenned himself on the bottom of his cage; he felt sick. He didn't opened them until he felt a wind whistling around his ears, eyes and nose on highway. It was a long trip. The vet and keeper were worried, since he came from milder climate, the bear will not catch a cold, so they put a blanket over the cage. The blanket blocked his view, so Standa tore it here and there with his claws - and the blanket flew in the air and off the highway to the snowy fields. They stopped couple times to feed him a fish and they had to use a restroom - not Standa - Standa went to the corner of his cage - he didn't eat his fish, because he didn't feel well. After several hours they arrived to the city zoo. The air was much colder. There was snow. He remembered snow from Brno. All animals were white, except Canadian geese, grey elephants - and baboons. They kept him separate from his bride in quarantine for a while, so he could calm down. "What I will do with her?" He also went for a checkup, but he was asleep. so he didn't remember anything. He knew he was healthy so he couldn't understand a slight disappointment - and then smiles...

Polar bears

Polar bear was lonely and being lonely for long isn't good even for polar bears, so people from the zoo did some thinking and money counting, and they decided to get another polar bear. They wrote a letter to Philadelphia zoo where they had a young female bear. The answer came: she is too young, so she isn't suitable for such an old grouch like Northern. So people from the zoo sent e-mails to other zoo's. Second day there was an answer from the zoo in Brno, Czech Republic. Yes, they have Standa, and Standa will be just right company for Northern; the bear is for sale, and a bill was also pleasant. Both zoo's agreed and a preparation for Standa's voyage began. Standa's housekeeper packed a birth certificate, list of shots, allergies (none), and a list of favorite foods. Northern zoo didn't have to do anything. Polar bear quarters were big enough to accommodate two bears and they can get enough of fish for both of them - no seals. "The Northern zoo will pay shipping and handling." "No, Northern zoo will pay shipping and a round trip for Brno's keeper to do handling from Brno to New York port. So Standa and his keeper received a train ticket from Brno to Hamburg and a boat ticket from Hamburg to New York. Northern zoo even paid for brand new cage. So Standa departed. No one missed him. Board of director's of the Brno's zoo told him to write a letter after arrival. Of course the bears do not know how to write, so they didn't expected one. Copyright (c) January 2010 Pottsville, Marie Neumann

Shadow

We have shadows. We know it. So we don't pay attention to it. We move, our shadow moves. We stay in one spot, the shadow lays at our feet like a dog. Come with me my shadow, don't linger. You suppose to follow me and not go window shopping. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, 2009

X-rays

My x-rays are on the gray market for sale. Buy them, use them! They are cheap. In some houses they have black lungs x-rays. Buy them, steel them! They pay more. They pay much more than x-rays of my right foot. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville 1/7/09

Violets are blue

roses are red, the black crow is eating old bread. The sky is gray, the ground is brown, I was born a clown. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, 2008

Reincarnation of a small pot

When we moved to the United States, one friendly family brought to us a small saucepan. It wasn't new. We used it every day: to boil water for coffee, to boil the eggs, for heating one can of spagettious, ravioli, or spaghetti with meatballs. We cooked many other things in this pot. We never returned little saucepan back. It travelled with me from Pennsylvania to Texas. White layer of minerals replaced original non-sticking coat. The cat liked to drink water purchased in the store from it. It tasted better than water from the wells too rich on minerals. I brought little saucepan with me back to Pennsylvania. I looked at it when I was unpacking. It wasn't brown anymore, the bottom bulged, so it began to dance on the stove. The saucepan was all worn out. It's cooking carier was over. It has a little hole in the holder, so I used it for a string and suspended little saucepan from the knocker on the door. Little saucepan serves now as the knocker. I hope one day there will be somebody who will use it and I will be coming to open the door smiling. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann 2/2/2010

Umbrella

I delivered newspaper in Port Carbon. I was on the third street. It's called Shantytown. I had one address: Austin Drive. What is Austin Drive doing in Port Carbon? I was looking for the street, I asked people, I even stopped at Borrow Hall. It was somewhere there. I came back to look for an address. It was raining hard and I was third time on 3rd street. There was a confederate flag hanging on the garage. So I new I was close. I stepped out of the car, planning to go on foot, I opened my beautiful, expensive umbrella, with the white clouds on the blue sky. Suddenly the wind blew, turned upside down the umbrella and broke it - and it stopped blowing. It still rained, but there was stillness in the air. I wrote down the address wasn't in my area - and left. My supervisor found the house later. She said: it's kind of spooky there. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Port Carbon, 2/2/2009

Immigrant

I am an immigrant. What do you want from me? I am the immigrant with long family tradition. My grandfather was an immigrant. My father was an immigrant, and I am also one. For variety each of us picked different country. My grandfather left and my father came back. I left, and so far, didn't come back. I am also a citizen of a country, where I am now, and I feel like one. Some people still call me the immigrant. When I am cheeky I answer: We all are a nation of immigrants - except - - of course - Indians. It's New Year, so I propose a wish: Good health to all immigrants, and Happy New Year! Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, 1/4/09

A doll

Once I had a doll with porcelain head and stuffed body. The doll could open and close its eyes. The doll didn't last long. I wanted to know what kind stuffing was used for this particular doll. So I played a doctor. What kind stuffing? I do not remember anymore. I wasn't able to reverse my deed. My sisters called me a wrecker and refused to do repair, or buy me another one. No more dolls for Marie, the wrecker. I discovered an eye mechanism, too. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville,12/29/09

Beginnings & endings

I have to hem a skirt, which is too long. Where is the beginning? Where is the end? They are two seems. One will be the beginning, second seem is in the middle and the ending is at the beginning. It's a circle. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville 1/1/2010

Dog's poop

My sister and her friend walked one sunny fall afternoon to help to clean closed down allotment gardens. They found and dug out bulbs of all kind of plants. Her friend had a back yard garden with some flower beds, so they were very pleased with their findings, and it was time to return back home. They boarded tram with their plastic bags and took a place on the back platform. After a while they began to sniff and sister's friend says: "I smell something. Do you smell something also?" And after a while: "It stinks like dog's poop." They sniffed the content of their bags, but it was O.K. They sniffed follow travelers but they were also O.K. Finally they began to sniff each other until her friend discovered a dog's poop on her shoe. They had to get out off the tram. The friend cleaned her shoe very carefully until the shoe was free of smell, and everything was O.K. again. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, New Year's Eve 2009

Taxi Continued

you have to go." Eventually I found out the town recently has no Taxi service, but old phone books have mine phone number under Taxi. For a while I was playing with the idea to take Taxi Service as my second, evening job, but my common sense talked me out of it. "Girl, don't be dummy, you are capable get lost everywhere, and now you want to deliver people in the area you are not familiar with." So I started to talk to people and tried to pursue them, that this town definitely has a market for Taxi Service, so the town should do something about it. Into the phone I patiently explained: the town doesn't have any taxi service right now, and I am very sorry for inconvenience, and I was thinking: Oh, boys, you will have to walk tonight, when I went to make myself a tea. The last taxi phone I received at 6.30 in the morning on Christmas Day. It was freezing outside and icy, unusual whether for Texas. Young lady asked me to take her to the airport - about two hours of fast ride from town. Young lady was desperate. I told her I am sorry, she has an old phone book and I can not help her,