Winter Cardinals

Fresh snowflakes are gently falling from the sky Blanketing the ground white, no longer brown and dry The snow topped bird feeders are now swaying in the wind And appear to be almost empty with the seeds very thinned I quickly gathered my containers of sunflower seeds and suet blocks While dreaming of hungry songbirds coming to visit soon in flocks I ventured outside to fill my feeders full before they all come and go When a sudden flash of red appeared with feathers tufted in snow The cardinal couple sat watching me while perched in a nearby tree While singing their merry melody that mimicked “cheer me, me, me” Before heading back inside, I looked up and smiled with a friendly wave They stopped singing their melody and then started a loud chirping rave I barely made it inside as I watched the feeders from my window view And saw the bright red feathers appear and the muted brown one too The cardinal couple is now at the feeders feasting on sunflower hearts I cherish their visit today, knowing at any moment they will soon depart To my surprise another bright red male cardinal lands on the feeding pole In his company following is his beautiful female cardinal in tow I watch the winter cardinal couples happily sing, feed and chirp away And I am delighted to have witnessed nature’s wonderful gift today