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From Dave Corry:

My favorite poem about Cardinals is by Jack Leax - Poet in Residence at Houghton College.  Sadly Jack passed away Sept. 2024 but his name appropriately lives on on in hope by these beautiful birds.  While Jack was looking upon his winter feeder he wrote this poem.

At the Winter Feeder

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 need,

returned and ate

their sacrament

of broken seed.

How can we not do the same each in our own brokenness?