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In my third floor garret room I lie down,
trying to dispel the packed weight
of fatigue in my winter bones.
Then I hear it--through the sealed windows
and pulled shades--lone cardinal, unspooling
pure notes from some stripped, godforsaken tree
out there, perched on some ice-stunned branch--this bird
insistent on joy, reminding me, yes,
it will be spring, it will be summer
when I will so easily forget this song.
From the forthcoming collection, Her Joy Becomes (Fernwood Press, September 2022).
This poem first appeared in Orchards Poetry Journal.
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Andrea Potos, who writes in longhand, is a longtime independent bookseller and the author of numerous books; the latest is Marrow of Summer, from Kelsay Books. Andrea loves reading, travel, cafes, and walking beside lakes and on green trails—“of which there are many,” she says, in Madison, Wisconsin, where she lives. Andrea’s Greek grandparents and their spirit have been an abiding presence and inspiration throughout her life and poetry.
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Jo:
Beautiful poem it is the cardinals that always bring such joy especially in the winter.
Posted 02/21/2022 11:18 PM
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Anastasia:
I loved watching for cardinals when I lived in the midwest! Bright red against the black-and-white winter landscape, reminding us that winter will not last forever.
Posted 02/21/2022 02:51 PM
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KinVT:
Well done! Carefully chosen words definitely captured both the emotion & Northern landscape of late winter: packed weight of fatigue, stripped godforsaken tree, ice stunned branch. Equally, the opposite effect is elicited with: unspooling pure notes, insistent on joy.
Thank goodness for birds! & poets!
Posted 02/21/2022 12:10 PM
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NormaB:
I can relate to hearing certain sounds (like that owl hoot the other night) that remind me of the coming of spring. Love it!
Posted 02/21/2022 11:33 AM
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Larry Schug:
The cardinals around our place in Minnesota have begun to sing also, though not that full-on "wolf whistle" of mating season. I very much like the phrase "insistent on joy" which is the way I wished all of us lived life.
Posted 02/21/2022 11:21 AM
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Lori Levy:
Love how the cardinal gives hope in this poem.
Posted 02/21/2022 10:55 AM
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paradea:
Good one!!
Posted 02/21/2022 09:39 AM
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Michael:
In the Midwest, we are blessed with cardinals all year round. I especially like them perched low on a pine branch close to the snow-covered ground. Great color contrast.
Posted 02/21/2022 09:18 AM
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cork:
We look for the mountain bluebirds on St. Patrick's Day, our first day of spring.
Posted 02/21/2022 08:57 AM
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Darrell Arnold:
It is February, and, except for four or five mornings since November, the mornings here in NW Arizona have dawned at below freezing temperatures. But it's 45F out there this morning, and the days, recently, have been calm and sunny--excellent for spring cleanup projects. My wife grew up here, and she insists that the first day of spring is February 27, which is her birthday. I think she is close to being right. It is feeling like spring, though we have yet to hear a robin sing. I like Andrea's poem.
Posted 02/21/2022 07:41 AM
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