I
am
late for
many reasons.
This afternoon
it was because I
could not find my keys,
but then also because of
the cardinal sitting on a cluster
of lilacs—balanced perfectly
right on top of the blossoms.
He was pointed straight at the
driveway, straight at my car
as I got ready to pull out.
Cheer! Cheer! Cheer! he
called, just like in that
book I read as a child.
To not stop for a
moment would
surely have
been rude.
