A Cardinal in the Snow
while cross country skiing with friends
we noticed the rich, vivid red of a cardinal
in the middle of the rolling farm field
about a hundred yards away, alone
in the snow, its slight flickering movements
a sign of life in the empty vast whiteness
sharing a moment of joy and surprise
we talked of the rarity of this bird
appearing here on this cold winter day
until the skeptic skied in and showed us
the folly of believing what we wanted to see
and the small red flag the farmer planted last summer
marking the danger of mowing through fields of hope
Elizabeth R. McCarthy, Walden
This poem was written for the VerseVillage celebration of April Poetry Month and is posted at Mike’s Service Station, Hardwick.
