After coffee, I went quiet till
a cloud parted in my mind and
the light within made it
briefly to the page.
I rubbed my eyes
to search what had surfaced,
the way a diver catches his breath
and wipes the muck from the
treasure he’s brought up.
Just as I began to under-
stand, the sun came
through the maple and
covered the page.
When I looked,
a cardinal was bobbing
out my window, as if
to say, keep trying.