This war
Not fought
with bows and arrows or
guns and bullets but
paper, talk, attorneys,
testimony, treasure
all weapons of choice
to remove a dam.
Let Birch Creek
Flow free
and salmon swim home
where they belong
returning a way of life
to the Native Umatilla Tribes
—
Molly Mayhead is Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Western Oregon University. She received a Ph.D. in Speech Communication from Penn State University and taught a variety of Communication classes for 31 years before retiring in 2019. She began studying and writing poetry in 2019 in part because she finally had time to do so and, in part, to help her cope with an injury that impacted her mobility. She lives on a 5-acre tree farm in the foothills of the Oregon Coastal Range with her husband.
