If I had one wish for this

little bit of finny life,

it would be the same wish I have

for the alders and blackberries

here beside the creek

and for the owls making pellets in the firs,

and for the occasional eagle

that flies by high over this valley

here at Connelly Creek.

It would be the same wish

for all these people standing by the stream

with careful paper cups of fry,

and for those standing by their stations

out to sea, waiting with their hopeful nets.

Really, there is only one best wish

to give and get and that is for life itself.

May we know fully our share of it

and care about it completely,

which is everything --

and this, in our humanity,

makes everything

more than everything.

by Scott Stodola, recollecting planting baby coho with the grade-school students of the Bellingham Co-operative School.

2206 South Avenue

Bellingham, WA 98225