The Thief and the Bear

A ghostly figure poked a bear
That had been quietly resting
The massive creature stumbled out
From the cave where it was nesting

A stealthy villain held the stick
Which drew out the bear from slumber
It roared and reared, ran and rumbled
Toward men at work on lumber

With axes tossed and curses hurled
The work is stacked but left behind
Their piles of wood lie on the ground
For the foul fiend to load and bind

As ill-gotten gain was gathered
The bear roamed back home to its cave
The would-be thief of wood gave shout
But he was dragged into his grave

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It is often the case that those who seek to profit from chaos end up undone by the storm they unleash. When an evil scheme goes wrong, it goes very wrong. When I started the poem, the first line popped into my mind and the rest followed as a story illustrating this idea.

I described the thief as ghostly in the first line because – whether he understood it or not – his fate was sealed with that action.

via crossidiomas.com

Etymology: The second sense refers to the use of bears to represent Russia, as a shortening of the idiom “poke the Russian bear” (to anger or threaten Russia and start a war with Russia).

The idiom “poke the bear” is a commonly used expression in English that refers to provoking or irritating someone who is already angry or upset. This phrase is often used in situations where it would be unwise to provoke someone, as it can lead to negative consequences.

The Origins of “Poke the Bear”

The exact origins of this idiom are unclear, but it is believed to have originated from hunting practices. When hunters encountered a sleeping bear, they would sometimes poke it with a stick to wake it up and force it out into the open for easier hunting.

Over time, this practice became associated with provoking danger or trouble unnecessarily. Today, “poke the bear” has taken on a more figurative meaning and is used to describe any situation where someone intentionally aggravates an already volatile person or situation.