2nd place
Amelia Desjardins
smarties2829@hotmail.com

Under the moon and below the stars
A sweet serenade is played,
When the crickets finally stop
I wish they would have stayed.
I’m so lonely at night
And these waters get so cold,
As I sway here in the river
I fear that I’m getting old.
Alas, I still have my memories
Though some are good and some are sad,
I should love to share my stories
And if you would like to hear them, I sure would be glad.
In my younger years, I was quite the smolt
All the girls would gasp, at my outstanding silver coat
I was also a charmer, though I won’t go on and boast,
But of all those young ladies, there was one that I loved most.
Jade Hopkins was my sweet crush
The most beautiful salmon that could make me blush,
From her graceful swim to the sparkles in her eye
The feeling she gave me, I could not identify.
I remember this one time, there was a huge bird
He was flying nearby, and speeding forward
When he dived for my Jade, I told her to look out,
As she sprinted away, that predator caught a trout.
When I was young, those birds were quite the threat,
Other than that there weren’t too many reasons to fret.
But I started to grow, and as I did
I figured out there were more dangers than I knew as a kid.
Like our once beautiful water
Once so fresh, once so pure,
Now being filled with pollution
Which we salmon have to endure.
Or the cut trees being dumped in our home,
That problem is the one that filled Jade with so much sorrow.
March arrived with its morning chill,
All was calm - all was still,
When all of a sudden trees went tumbling down at a remarkable speed,
Finally coming to a halt on our egg-filled reed.
But yet, some people remain loyal to us,
Through all this nonsense and all this fuss.
Like the fish breeders who work to ensure future generations,
Or the artists who speak for us through their creations.
Perhaps even the quiet fisherman,
Who takes pride in the occasional prize
Maybe the inventers who make it easy for us to get by.
Under the moon and below the stars,
An old salmon is swaying,
I am a thankful salmon, and the luckiest salmon that possibly could be,
Because I know that someone has my voice and is looking out for me!