The neighbors
may think
I’m a weirdo,
and maybe I am,

in any case, I found
that cardinal,
that triller
of clef notes,

all the way at the top
of the tree,
slightly camouflaged
in the leaves,

but once my eyes
alighted on him,
he shone as if the sun
absorbed and redirected

from those brilliant
red feathers
against the depthless
blue, and I smiled.