The Courageous Struggle of Sacred Salmon: Collected Haiku

By Steve K. Bertrand

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798369404478

Steve K. Bertrand

For this pictorial history of Paine Field, Steve K. Bertrand has selected more than 200 images from the local community, historical societies, regional libraries, and state archives. He has traced the rich history of Paine Field from its earliest days to its present status as a bustling airport and commercial aviation center. These photographs provide a glimpse into the people and events that influenced this small community in the Pacific Northwest.

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Copyright © 2023 by Steve K. Bertrand.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 07/31/2023

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

849102

For the Migratory...

The courageous struggle

of sacred salmon,

as they swim upstream.

Preface

My Song

My song is to the four winds.

To the north

I sing of heavy snow,

silent mountain & beaver memorial pole.

To the south

I sing of spawning salmon,

cedar longhouse & swift flowing river.

To the east

I sing of dark forest,

stalking grizzly & gray sky.

To the west

I sing of salt breeze,

low tide & Haida myths.

My song is to the four winds.

Steve K. Bertrand

Rainy day –

nothing but birds floating

on Silver Lake.

Ah, the little things –

hummingbird at

my nectar feeder.

Funny –

a two second kiss remembered

for 75 years.

My daughter

excitedly handing me a shell she found

on the beach.

A cold,

dark night – something in the air

whispering snow.

A drunken man

in top hat and tails clinging to

a lamppost.

Where would

the Acorn woodpecker be without

his acorns?

The antique

gargoyle chair in grandpa’s house

nobody sits in.

A Black heron

canopy feeding at the edge

of a fresh-water lake.

The morning sun

spilling orange down upon the snow-capped

Cascade Mountains.

Reading in bed

past midnight –

moan of a passing train.

Popping up

throughout the desert, orange & yellow

Globe Mallow.

The murmuration

of starlings across an orange sky

at dawn.

After the rain,

white cherry blossoms stuck to

the hood of my truck.

This morning –

snow atop

the blossoming, red tulips.

All along

the boulevard, the pink blossoming

cherry trees.

Robin perched

on a budding blueberry bush

watching the sun rise.

Little birds

frolicking amongst the budding

shrubbery.

The old farmer

headed to church on Sunday

to pray for rain.

Going to the Evergreen Fair

each summer

just to meet girls!

How happy

the plum tree blossoming

in my back yard!

A towhee

balancing on a swaying

sunflower.

How high

jagged mountain peaks, how low

thick fog in the valley.

Frost on

the field grass, dust on

the piano strings.

August afternoon –

mother & son

squared off on the basketball court.

The homeless man

with his found treasures strewn

all around him.

A small child

chases mewing gulls down

the sandy beach.

A robin lands

in my back yard – pecks at a fallen

pink cherry blossom.

While on my walk

this morning, Mountain bluebird perched

on a willow branch.

In the eye

of Raven, the mischievousness

of coyote.

Ah, the

delicious smell of a just fired

cap gun.

This morning –

Lenticular Clouds gathered

over Mount Rainier.

Squirrel on a limb

reaching for his reflection

in the mill pond.

The cute

little spider who turned into

a large scary one!

We shoo away

coyote coming from forest

to stalk Killdeer.

That photo

of an eagle snatching a salmon

from the river!

Those forgotten

railroad tracks leading through

a