God is in everything, I tell her,
hoping the mystery and matter-of-factness
will give her something to think about.
'Everything? ' Everything.
'The clouds? The grass?
What about the dirt?
What about me? What about
you? ' And before I can answer
a great horned owl,
almost as tall as my daughter,
looks at us.
It extends its massive wings
and with one downward thrust
lifts its body
and disappears, leaving
a small lump of fur and broken bones
in the dark grass.