Into the bush on the
other side of the window
from where I sit,
a Cardinal couple flit
and fly —
he bright red and small,
she pale
red and brown
with a bright red crown
and big with eggs
and a sharp eye.
They have come to
build a nest in their
favorite meeting place.
But I must give them
privacy and space.
And so I will lower
the blinds and
angle them just so
in hopes they return so
I can keep watching the
glorious birthing and
parenting show.

Ah, it worked!
They’re back
so fast,
(There’s work to
do before Cardinal
chicks at last.)
and I peer through
the slat.
He, on a higher branch,
watches diligently,
while she, at the
fledgling nest,
places a twig
most carefully.