I recently came across this poem in a book of devotionals and was quite taken by it.
At the Winter Feeder
by John Leax
His feather flame doused dull
by icy cold,
the cardinal hunched
into the rough, green feeder
but ate no seed.
Through binoculars I saw
festered and useless
his beak, broken
at the root.
Then two: one blazing, one gray,
rode the swirling weather
into my vision
and lighted at his side.
Unhurried, as if possessing
the patience of God,
they cracked sunflowers
and fed him
beak to wounded beak
choice meats.
Each morning and afternoon
the winter long,
that odd triumvirate,
that trinity of need,
returned and ate
their sacrament
of broken seed.
by icy cold,
the cardinal hunched
into the rough, green feeder
but ate no seed.
Through binoculars I saw
festered and useless
his beak, broken
at the root.
Then two: one blazing, one gray,
rode the swirling weather
into my vision
and lighted at his side.
Unhurried, as if possessing
the patience of God,
they cracked sunflowers
and fed him
beak to wounded beak
choice meats.
Each morning and afternoon
the winter long,
that odd triumvirate,
that trinity of need,
returned and ate
their sacrament
of broken seed.
John Leax is the Poet-in-Residence at Houghton College in Houghton, NY.
5 comments:
Oh, I love that! I also love the photo. I think I remember it.
I'm ready for winter!
Love,love,love it! It brought out a tear. We can learn a lot from that poem. Wonderful picture. I feel like I have seen it on a previous post.
Get any hummingbirds?
Yep, the picture is a repeat. I used it for a post on my 360 blog. It was taken through a dirty window... wish it could have been clearer.
We do get hummingbirds at our altheus bushes. Sometimes they'll hover and look right in the window!
Kelly,
The poem is beautiful and the message which it conveys is inspiring.
Raven
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