I need some help developing the following verse.

Now a barred owl hoots but a gray wolf howls.
_______________________and a black bear growls.

(If the pen is mightier than the sword then what could be sharper than the word?)

What other animals did you have in mind?

Do you want another animal with the sound it makes to be part of the verse?

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me! ~Dr. Seuss

I will consider an animal and the sound but I would also consider other possiblities.

The animals and sounds that I have used are somewhat implied in a nocturnal setting.

I have considered a bullfrog and a mountain lion.

(If the pen is mightier than the sword then what could be sharper than the word?)

Hey PD,

This would be my suggestion for your verse:

Now a barred owl hoots and a gray wolf howls.
The prey is mute while a black bear growls.

or

Now a barred owl hoots while a gray wolf howls.
The bat hears its route and a black bear growls.

Hope this helps, if not, let me know and I can try to think of other things.

HAVE A NICE DAY!

~Aeras

Thank you for your suggestions.

(This is a work in progress.)

Let us stoke the campfire and stir the stew pot;
We can sit for a spell on these pine log blocks.
You can pull that cork on that 90-proof bottle.
So we can _______________and wet our whistles.

The Loosahatchie River never stops a-running.
And the Devil doesn’t care if the sun doesn’t shine.
Now a hoot owl hoots but a gray wolf howls,
_________________ that a black bear growls.

I’ve been snake bitten and grazed by lightning;
And _____________shot with a snub-nosed pistol
But every now and then I’ll get a damn wild hair
To raise home-grown-hell and go hunt for bear.

(If the pen is mightier than the sword then what could be sharper than the word?)

Well, I must say having the whole poem will make critiquing it easeir PD .

Ok, lets get down to it! (as always, suggestive changes will be bolded)

Let us stoke the campfire and stir the stew pot;
We can sit for a spell on these pine log blocks. (I'm not going to lie, the pot/blocks rhyme doesn't sit very well. Combined with the fact that you didn't continue to rhyme the first two lines in the rest of the stanza's leads me to suggest its removal or replacement)
You can pull that cork on that 90-proof bottle.
So we can _______________and wet our whistles.

Stoke the campfire and stir the stew pot!
We can sit for a spell on these felled oak logs;
Pull the cork from the 90-proof bottle. (I don't presonally like "90-proof bottle." It doesn't sit well in this poem for me. I'd suggest finding a replacement and making the last line rhyme with it.)
So we can find our courage and wet our whistles.


The Loosahatchie River never stops a-running.
And the Devil doesn’t care if the sun doesn’t shine.
Now a hoot owl hoots but a gray wolf howls,
_________________ that a black bear growls.

The Loosahatchie River never slows its flow,
And the Devil doesn’t care if the sun doesn’t shine.
Now a hoot owl hoots but a gray wolf howls, hoot owl hoots sounds somewhat strange (even though its a species. What if you changed the first hoot to something else?
While the Devil's aware that a black bear growls. (This line could have some variation, but I do really think you should possibly through the devil back into it, or rather, allude to him without referring directly and use him again in a later stanza)

I’ve been snake bitten and grazed by lightning;
And _____________shot with a snub-nosed pistol
But every now and then I’ll get a damn wild hair
To raise home-grown-hell and go hunt for bear

My first reaction to the ending, is that its a little non-sensical. That is, it didn't seem to match the rest of your poem. It could work but it just seemed a little odd at first read. As for the space you provided, there's little that could fit with your current structure. You could try shot point blank, shot in the chest or what if you redid the line as a whole?

My spirit's been shot with a snub-nosed pistol

What does "a damn wild hair" mean to you? I know what you meant but what does it really mean? Personally, I would consider changing it, but its up to you. Maybe relate it back to the courage the alcohol imparted to you. Also, home-grown-hell didn't quite sit well with me. What I would do is relate it as if you were the devil you previously mentioned. That makes it all fit. You're aware when it growls because you're hunting or tracking it; You're "raising hell" because you're the forest's, or at least the "bear's" metaphorical devil. You pass judgement upon it. Think about trying to weave some sort of deeper meaning into it like that. I look foreword to seeing what changes you make and you can bet I'll be back to comment on this piece until completion. Interesting idea, now lets see how you develop it.

HAVE A NICE DAY!

~Aeras