What Settles

This afternoon, I walked
along the Oregon coast
until my legs grew tired;
saw blue herons, daisies, bald eagles;
sat on a bleached-out tree
singing off-key
to a baby that's not even born
while the seals beached on the sand.

When the rain blew in--
as it does--
I sang louder,

not knowing what gets heard,
what stays, what settles
into heart and bone and--after all
those long months--finally, becomes.