The cardinal sings because it must
The cardinal sings because it must
April, after all,
Despite wild winds and
As snow smothers what green the earth had begun to reveal
The cardinal sings
It is his job and duty
To secure a place in the ritual
To enliven this time and place when we have lost track
The cardinal sings
For love and life
For a partner to share and do what
Spring instructs while the world weeps and moans for its dead
The cardinal sings
From the highest branch the earth allows
Sings us back to our selves
Helps us carry our hearts, day to day, in weary and chapped hands