A Crawl, Then a Burst

As he flies away,

Bird is caught and suspended--

Magic of camera.

Flurry of actions--

Bird feeder is filled with birds;

Then they all are gone.

Sitting in a tree 

Fearful cardinal waits his chance;

Knows he's visible.

Sun breaks through the clouds;

For an instant all is bright;

Rooster crows hello.

Forsythia buds,

A day closer to their bloom--

A crawl, then a burst.

Woodpecker hammers;

He's answered by another--

A hollow duet.

Last patches of snow

Lie like an artist's palette

At base of dead tree.

To be taken free:

Roadside cornucopia.

(I take a strainer)