As I drove along on

this cold, grey morning, 

a flash of red caught

my eye, then three more,

as four cardinals flew from 

the middle of the road and 

disappeared into the white woods.

Later this morning through 

the window during yoga I gazed 

at a big tree that has captured

my heart, its snow-kissed branches

stretching protectively over the 

courtyard of an old stone church,

filling the space with its gracefulness.