Memories float off this beach like fireweed down in August

fleeing from hiding spots in eagle feathers and fish bones

now abandoned by life

In one an eagle flies from an overhead spruce bough

circling then dropping to the sea

submerging talons that pull skyward

a herring dinner. My daughter, then toddler

silently watches as others clap amazement.

I want to dive into the memory

surfacing just after the capture

to ask if my baby feels pity or admiration

this child of forest and beach

where nature forms the outlines of our lives

where she falls asleep to the music of

wind and tides.