silent

i am silent
silent
silent as a result of grief
silent as a result of silent suffering
silent as a result of silence
silent as a result of stilled voices of the wild
wild whales wild starfish wild tuna
silent         silent
                                silent
west coast pacific salmon
silent streams
i step out
from behind the veil
of poetry
to put each of these words
down
each one
an offering
to the terrible silence
each one looking
death in the eye
each one honoring
the grace
of the starving baby seal
whose gaze i shrink from
even in my imagination
as i carry the shame of my species
the grace of the silver herring
bleeding from its eyes
each word
honors our human soul
for the fate of those eyes
is ours

-- Lorena Wolfman © 2014