Oh summer moon
your soft light
highlights my hair,
makes me aware
of the ocean tides
when the grunion
run at very high
tides, as females
dig their tails
into the sand to
lay their eggs.
Fertilization
from a male
occurs and after
ten days with the
next set of high
tides, eggs hatch
and young grunion
are washed out to sea.
So come with me
tonight, let’s have
some fun because
the grunion are
running and I long
to be with you
on the sandy shore
grunion hunting
once more.
8/11/16
Anacreontic Verse 4 - Poetry Contest - Sponsor Edward Ebbs
Grunion are two fish species of the genus Leuresthes: the California grunion, L. tenuis, and the Gulf grunion L. sardinas. They are sardine-sized teleost fishes of the Atherinopsidae family of New World silversides, found only off the coast of California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico, where the species are found on both the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California coasts. Many people enjoy catching grunion at events called "grunion runs."
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