I was born in the sweet water of my source,
grown up in salty waters of the sea where the river led me.
But my mind returns, up there, to the plains of birth; there,
I'll generate to sustain and detain my species.
Ascending to source, I’m threatened by broad knives of rocks,
by the hungry nail of the bear, the coarse teeth of the wind;
the waterfalls strike me down, while jumping their level.
I wish to stand it till the end, even been left with half a skin,
no matter if I wiggle in muck when I shall fertilize my eggs.
I aim to return; even if I’ll arrive devastated, old at once,
even if a water pit will abort my dead body. Before I die
I just want to offer the seed that no longer belongs to me.
You, winds, rocks, bears, let me reflect as sage. Yes,
I owe to you; because thanks to your jaws I learned
how to hold the life tightly and long for my return,
how to survive by breathing even from the Aeolus bags.
I care less if my body withers or if I generate in quagmires?
I shine as life does. Although I am a fish I become a bird
surmounting over steep rocks. My life resembles
the salmon's life; survival is but a top priority act.
© JosephJosephides
Joseph S. Josephides
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-rerurn-of-salmon/
