Sockeye
Oh splendorous sockeye!
how can I replace
your red flesh offerings,
your salty silver scales?
How can I dance
to your memory?
The memory I hold in my cells,
the memory of my wildness,
the part of me that is not human.
Oh splendorous sockeye!
I sit at the table
of a bountiful ocean,
knowing the fasting has begun,
knowing you are more than food
A family within a family,
that humankind cannot replenish.
Sorry sockeye,
Sorry salmon.
Sorry tree, mountain, meadow.
Sorry wolf, frog, bear,
Sorry otter, sorry eagle.
Sorry forest floor.
Sorry canopy.
Sorry fungi, sapling, fern, moss,
Sorry lichen.
Sorry stream,
Sorry lake, river, ocean.
Sorry kelp, octopus, seal.
Sorry orca.
Sorry air,
Sorry wind, clouds, rain.
Sorry sky.
Sorry sun, stars, moon.
Sorry Earth.
Sorry parents,
Sorry grandparents, relatives, ancestors.
Sorry children.
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Beautiful. powerful. thank you.