As far as I know
there are no polar bears
in Iowa. But this does not

mean that I do not
understand
when you say ice or

seal or hibernation
or claw. This does not
mean that I cannot see

your dirty white coat
through the bars of your cage
at the San Diego Zoo

where you watch the
former Olympic bronze medalist
skate on a tiny melting rink

As far as I know
there are no polar bears
in Iowa. But this does not

mean that I do not
understand
when you say ice or

seal or hibernation
or claw. This does not
mean that I cannot see

your dirty white coat
through the bars of your cage
at the San Diego Zoo

where you watch the
former Olympic bronze medalist
skate on a tiny melting rink

in the middle of August
for the entertainment of
Midwestern tourists.

This does not mean
I cannot see your grimace
as you watch her push and jump

and spin and spin and spin
and land ice-perfect smooth
to the sound of polite applause

as you sweat in your cage
and pace back and forth and
search for a mirror so that

you might ask yourself
what you are doing
in San Diego.

¹ After Debi Thomas's third-place ice-skating finish, she went on to get an engineering degree from Stanford and an MD in orthopedic surgery from Northwestern.