by Terri Glass
Take a look at this beauty,
a bright silvery Chinook
that barreled through miles of
turbulent waters
from river to ocean and back again
fattening its pink flesh with herring
and krill.
Black mouth and tail of black spots,
king of all salmon,
weighing up to 120 pounds!
The lifeblood of coastal native tribes,
food source for orcas, seals, bears, eagles,
livelihood of fishermen,
numbers depleting as I speak
from habitat loss due to drought,
agriculture, overfishing,
and dams impinging on
their natural birth right to return
to the stream
where they were born.
Take a closer look
at this beauty called Chinook.
Soon it may be only a memory,
and a river filled with sorrow
without the vital nutrients
the salmon bring from the sea.
The barren nest of eagle,
the empty nets of fishermen,
the hungry eyes of seal—
king of all salmon
disappearing before our eyes.
Terri Glass is a poet and writer of the natural world. Her mission has been to use poetry as a means to awaken and transform our culture to preserve the beauty and bounty of planet earth. You can visit her at www.terriglass.com. Plea for Wildlife Project funded by Upstate California Creative Corp.