I wrote my poem The Unchained Bear in response to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #327 to write something inspired by the photo below from Ryan Grewell on Unsplash.
The Unchained Bear
by Lesley Scoble
In the old days they wanted me to dance,
they’d tie me by ball and chain,
they’d goad me with pain
to prance to a beat
and point my feet
to make me move
in steps they wanted me to groove
Nowadays, in my rocky tree-lined land
I move the way they wanted me to
I stretch my leg with my hand
(I believe in ballet it’s called
a développeé)
I swirl in a pool
and dance like a fool
because I’m free
—Lesley Scoble, June 2025
Audio—The Unchained Bear is now a song!
You can now hear The Unchained Bear on Suno.com where it joins other amazing musical creations!
Fancy giving Suno a try yourself? Follow my friend’s invite link here.
NOTES
Dancing Bears
Traditionally, dancing bears were wild bears captured or bred in captivity, trained (often cruelly) to perform tricks like “dancing” to music. The movement usually came from the bear shifting weight from foot to foot, a reaction to pain, stress, or commands.
Conservation & Animal Welfare
Animal welfare organizations like World Animal Protection and Free the Bears have worked hard to rescue and rehabilitate dancing bears.
Many countries have outlawed the practice, and sanctuaries now house rescued bears, helping them recover physically and emotionally.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My gratitude to Melissa Lemay for the inspiration!
And my heartfelt thanks to you, the reader, for reading my poem.
To learn more about Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge follow the link below.
LesleyScoble.com 
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