Unbridled sadness sweeps
me under the rug
on the floor of oblivion,
where cringing and
standing tall are the same.
My oceans are vast,
my salmon are few,
swimming with me under this rug;
my heart is
a defiant afterthought.
Fear, anger, despair, hope:
indulgences all.
(salmon at Willamette Falls: Wikipedia; rug: Home Design Ideas)
Narble Furt Lives 
Lovely, haunting words.
I read this several times, Jim. It’s really beautiful in composition, but also stirring in consequence. I particularly respond to “where cringing and standing tall are the same.” That’s a heavy weight and I feel it as you speak it.
Thank you, Debra. It’s a poem that happened in my journal as I was writing about our dysfunctional relationship with the natural world.