Salmon Parenting
It’s an ancient beckoning,
this return to birthplace,
struggle to replace ourselves
in the circle of Earth story,
give our deterioration to
the next generation.
“Homeward Bound,” photograph by Kevin Talbot. Sol Duc River, Olympic National Park.
Sea swimming, the individual joy
of being a free salmon,
is the most romantic notion
of this life, feeding.
But the journey home,
fight to fertilize,
is tomorrow’s prosperity.
We dissolve into gravel,
no eyes to witness the progression
of alevin to fry, smolt to adult,
nor how our offspring
favor their parents, whose fat,
muscle, and organs burned for
energy in their creation.
Spawning is an act of faith
in our dying process.
Pure sacrifice, unknown outcomes
without regret nor nurturing interference.
Impact is finned like a relay baton.
My run is done,
make yours count, children,
carry coho on,
nourish yourself and everything,
for salmon feed the rivers, the fungus,
lift into clouds, rain to land.
Our legacy is richest
just before and after death.
©️ 2024 Laura E. Garrard
This poem was first published in Inspired by Art: Olympic Peninsula Authors & Artists and also now appears in Laura E. Garrard’s debut book, Paddling the Sweet Spot Between Life and Death. Laura E. Garrard is a Pushcart Prize nominee and a multiple myeloma thriver living in the Northwest.