I walk the edge, bruised
sky carries the remains
of yesterday’s rain. An eagle
skims the dawn-feathered
water, talons bared for breakfast.
An empty hand, the unused
leash—aloneness strangles.
Barely-there waves lap
my cold toes. Grateful
for lace-fog, I sprinkle
ashes, watch them disperse,
then disappear. I lose track
of time and tears. The sun
crests the Cascades, morning
tumbles over the rocky shore—
how honest life seems.
