Winter cardinal

For Melany

I see her perched
alone on bare birch,
a heart
fluttering life into a snowy tree.
Soft crystals dust over her wings,
and she watches as branches slow dance
to the slurred tune she sings.
I stand still to glance
at her coral-colored beak and red-tinted crest,
the beauty of her own unawareness.
She walks along an outstretched arm,
then sways as Christmas bells sound their charm.
Her feathers shield the chill of winter’s night,
and she waits for the perfect moment
when instinct gives her flight.