In the branches of my chinaberry tree, every day now, for the last week: a cardi...

In the branches of my chinaberry tree, every day now, for the last week: a cardinal couple. First the male shows up and then the female. And because they are so extraordinary (he so bright, she so subtle) when I catch sight of them, I let myself stop doing, doing, doing.
I hold still.
I am grateful for the birds’ togetherness, their beauty, but grateful most of all for the permission they seem to grant me: to stand and do nothing but admire.