Dave Bonta pictures a mother bear in the middle of winter, deep in her den, living on almost nothing. She hasn't eaten for two months and won't for three more. Half-awake, she chews sticks into soft chips to make a bed for cubs who haven't yet arrived. The details are small and physical: she might eat a little snow, or only dream of it, and her heart slows to eight beats a minute.
The speaker doesn't announce a feeling, but admiration comes through in the quiet, observant tone. The short, broken lines mimic her slowed-down body, and the plain list of what she lacks builds toward the final turn. Out of her "unhungering" body, milk will flow. The title, "Kenosis," a word for self-emptying, suggests the idea that she gives from emptiness. The mood is hushed, patient, and tender, with a sense of wonder at how life gets made and fed in the coldest, barest season.