Sharp crying winds set bare treetops to dancing,
Yet chickadee finds seed beneath new snow.
Pawprints mark where coyote went raiding;
Flash of wings unveils bluejay and junco,
Who sat camouflaged when quiet and still,
But showed their tribal hues at every flight.
What cardinal can sit, or watch a cold night,
Without leaving his post or being seen?
Late morning colors hillsides red and brown,
Where new twigs reach from last year’s termini
To craft new, green leaves for Spring’s awaking,
And shake every abandoned bird’s-nest down.
Orion seeks counsel from Gemini,
Whose cattle-raid foretells winter’s breaking.
