The Poetry of
Michael G. Khmelnitsky

steelhead is not salmon

salmon trout and steelhead
are types of trout

an entirely different fish
from the same family of fish

as salmon


salmon is always a salmon

but a steelhead starts its life out
as a rainbow trout

if the rainbow trout
migrates to the ocean

it becomes a steelhead


if it never goes to the ocean

it stays a rainbow trout
for its entire life

because they are closely
related (and taste similar

steelhead is sometimes marketed


as steelhead salmon  (the store
    had it improperly labeled
  as such