Skyla, Kasatka, Tahlequah

Poem and photos by Faith Jayaram, junior at Spring Street International School

I traveled far to save you,
High on childish naïveté.
I suppose at the time
I believed myself a heroine;

Reality, though, is cruel,
And real life is death
By the dozens,
Starved, poisoned, struck.

I no longer believe in fate,
Or rather I do not believe
In my capacity
To save.

Yet I dream of your birth,
And I dream of your death.

I’m sorry, Skyla.
I’m sorry, Kasatka.
I’m sorry, Tahlequah.

I dreamed of you too,
But I
Was too late.

My stomach aches
When you swallow paint and
Cement, churning like
Chunks of sediment;

My lungs convulse
When you suffocate in
Chemical-rich space,
One part water, two chlorine.

You exhale, and I

Breathe again,
Breathe you in,

Feel you in my chest,
Feel the waves crash

Against my black and white
Skin.

I don’t know whose
Blood runs in my veins,
But our ancestors are
The same.

I promise I will tell the world
Our names.

The Friends of the San Juans do such a wonderful job of keeping on top of things like the transit of freighters through the Straits and their impact on whales as well as protecting our environment. Jim and I fell in love with the islands, the wildlife, and fishing. We hope to preserve it, not only for our family but for other families, well into the future.

Glen and Deb Bruels

members, San Juan Island