how to not forget

I try to memorize

the nightly migration 

patterns of crows as they 

gather like clouds to the coast

and frame the ocean 

like a portrait, the same 

way my sister pulls on the 

drawstring of her 

favorite sweatshirt until

it frames her freckled cheeks.

And my restless feet 

cannot stay grounded.   

Like butterflies, 

they race towards the waves

until I melt into the warm sand and

allow the lapping constancy to 

lull me into a rest 

I have all but forgotten.