Song of the Salmon: A Full Life Circle of Hope
Every creature fights for life.
Some creatures are driven.
The Pacific Salmons’ collective quest to breed in the exact river bed that they were born in, is one of the most amazing and underrated feats of nature. Each year since the beginning of time, West Coast Rivers of North America and Canada have been nature’s highways for carrying four and five year old salmon returning home from the rich saltwater currents of the Pacific Ocean, driven by the urge to spawn. Within a few weeks of that event, freshly hatched juvenile salmon move downstream in freshwater currents to the sea, where they will acclimatize and spend the rest of their lives trying to survive, until their river calls them home.
The ‘run’ up river is truly a testimony to the power and depth of purpose of nature. Collectively the various breeds of Pacific Salmon that make their spawning run upstream, not only provide a major food source for most other forest and river creatures, but also for the indigenous tribes who have for hundreds of years honored and valued the life spirit of the salmon. The journey of the salmon may be hundreds of miles long and during the run they change both in appearance and color as they near their destinations. Every conceivable creature that lives in the wild has gathered somewhere along the way, to wait for the salmon to arrive and to prey upon the sheer numbers of fish. The greatest predators encountered by the salmon are the mighty Grizzly Bears that fight for designated fishing spots and the range of birds of prey, like Eagles and Ospreys that hunt the salmon along the entire length of the river.
Unlike its Atlantic Salmon cousin, ultimately one way or another, each Pacific Salmon gives up it’s life during the spawning run, with those that do eventually spawn creating the entire next generation, only to die from it’s expended energy, having not eaten since before leaving the sea. Nature dictates that nothing of those determined and courageous salmon is wasted. Although gulls gorge themselves on thousands of fertile eggs, just as bears, wolves and other birds scatter broken salmon bodies across the rivers and forest floors; the Pacific Salmon give their spirit and bodily nutrients back to the earth, the rivers and the sea.
Below is a tribute to the life and spirit of the Pacific Salmon and its relevance to nature and our lives. The poem is called ‘Song of the Salmon’ and is written by Pearldiver. I hope that you enjoy ‘Song of the Salmon.’
Copyright © 2012 - 2013 Pearldiver - Art of the Diver with all rights reserved.
Waterfalls are to be climbed by salmon and determined souls.
To forest glades lining rivers.
'Song of the Salmon.'
Goodbye to vast Pacific roaming
We’ve reached our own river paths
Back to homes left four years ago
Driven by nature’s intuitive powers
We gather here waiting with friends
In awe, at how much they’ve grown
And to forest glades come gentle people
Greeting one another, with stories of the run
Grizzly bears line the banks and water falls
Impatient gulls wait with patient black crows
Eagles in September cedars watch and wait
All patrons of great anticipation, all hoping
The salmons’ song, this year, won’t be late
Nature always tries to provide a perfect moment
For sacrifice written in songs and streams
For those driven by the urge to return and die
To spawn another generation in smooth river stones
Swimming on against the current and all the odds
The salmons’ song brings no tears to nature’s eyes
As they complete another full life circle, yet again
New life hatches, but the lyrics, remain the same
Now beyond all those that managed to live on, because
Beyond newly nourished redwood forest floors
Beyond the totems that honor this magical race
One tiny sockeye sings of past lives and sacrifice
On a quest to roam a vast ocean, to grow and then
Return home bravely, within a salmons’ song
With many friends, all born here, back to this exact place...
Words by Pearldiver
Copyright © 2012 - 2013 Pearldiver - Art of the Diver with all rights reserved.
Grizzly Bears Argue Over The Best Fishing Positions.
Mankind needs to learn about nature and having empathy.
Nature Conservation and the Salmons' Plight.
Man has in the past, generally ignored the delicate balance that exists within the migratory needs and genetic traits of most wildlife and fish species. Man has built fences, created barriers, removed or changed special natural ecosystems and dammed rivers, with careless disregard to predictable consequences of those actions, to other living creatures. Justification gives rise to a myriad of excuses, blaming that relevant species group: for example, those creatures ‘get in the way of’ or are deemed to ‘interfere with’ human lifestyle development, or mankind’s other current and future needs! Always Mankind's Needs!
Further to this, other living creatures are also arrogantly culled by humans, in what is referred to as sustainable ‘commercial harvesting,’ yet in reality simply represents the decimating a species for financial gain, with little regard to that species needs. Such practices in modern times are often exploited as a result of humans having learned those natural migratory habits of the targeted species and then using those habits against the species to ensure commercial success. Sadly today somewhere in our world, man has helped to make another species extinct. It seems that nothing has been learned, nor wisdom sown, by too many generations of reapers.
World fish stocks are currently at their lowest ever, even though mankind has known for decades that the annual levels of decline would ultimately ensure the end of many once prolific species. Tuna stocks are currently raped to serve a greedy world of consumers who demand fish within their diets, at any cost! Sea-run salmon is equally sought after by a public oblivious to the salmons' quest for survival and the ancient lyrics to the 'Song of the Salmon.'
Copyright © 2012 - 2013 Pearldiver - Art of the Diver with all rights reserved.
Spent Salmon litter river banks - life is plentiful until it is gone!
Original Poetry sponsored by: Saving Wildlife.
Other works by Pearldiver.
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'Something meaningful' is about desire and how it is used by us to measure the things and potential partners that we want in our lives. Desire is also the most powerful marketing tool used today by businesses wanting to achieve more meaningful sales - And All the Time That You Are Alone’: A Tribute to an Ancient Tree: A Life Circle.
'And all the time that you are alone' is a tribute to nature and the spirit within an ancient tree that has endured time and climatic fluctuations to show us how mortal we truly are. As humans we often neglect to see the natural beauty that surrounds - ‘Learning to Become a Wave’: About Being Different and Loyal, Being Country, or
'Learning to Become a Wave' is about how certain places help make us who we are and how the differences between having a rural, urban or island upbringing or perceptions, can change or influence the relationships that we offer others, including those