A Polar Bear's Mud Spa Day

'in Just spring ... when the world is puddle-wonderful'

Do kids still read that poem by e.e. cummings in school? His whole typewriter shtick, once so modern, is now quaint, like something out of the Victorian age.

When I was a little girl, that poem just meant spring to me.

“In just spring, when the world is puddle wonderful …” I remember a lot of lines from that poem. A drawback to his style is that reciting the poem isn’t enough. I wonder if you really can recite it. I do not think you can.

However you can still experience it! Which I did yesterday at the Buffalo Zoo.

It was not spring-like weather however the birds were singing and the snowdrops were blooming. And Luna had taken a mud bath!

She was a brown bear!

I shot that video up above on Tuesday, March 25. I try to say the date, at the beginning where I try to do my little introduction, however in my excitement over seeing Luna, I forgot.

I also forgot to clean my camera lens, apparently. That is one foggy video! A brown bear through a foggy lens. I bought glass cleaner yesterday at Dollar Tree so I have no excuse. Today that lens gets polished.

It is always thrilling to see the polar bear up close. The bears seem aware of you and they come right up to the glass. I always marvel at their huge paws, their eyes and ears, and how they shake their heads.

Had I not known Luna had been taking mud baths, I would have been alarmed at her appearance. Her buddy, the big male polar bear named Sakura, was still white. You can glimpse him in the background of the video. And in case you cannot, here is a picture I took.

I was not alarmed at her transformation because I had seen Luna on Sunday, lounging in the mud. My sister Katie was walking with me and we both had to laugh. Luna was lolling on her back, showing her all, not caring who was around.

Polar bears do tend to be chill. However Luna is especially chill. Her companion, Sakura, is not. At least that is my observation. Sakura always seems to me to be a bit bedeviled. You will see Luna doing somersaults in the pool, enjoying her day, and Sakura will be pacing, keeping an eye on her. Restless. Huge.

How do you wash a polar bear? I do not think you do. I think Luna will have to wash off in her pool.

Until then, she is a brown bear.

That poem by e.e. cummings? I had to look up the title. It is “[in Just-]” What a pain to type. That took me forever. I found myself wanting to re-read it.

in Just-spring when the world is mud-luscious the littlelame balloonmanwhistles far and wee

If you want to read the rest of it, here is a link.

The poem dates to 1920. It is older than you think. Quietly it has passed into the public domain. We don’t have balloon men any more. And do little girls still play hopscotch and jump-rope? I think kids just look at their phones.

However, the world is still mud-luscious.

Thank you, Luna, for that reminder!