I watched a cardinal land
amidst a thicket
along the roadside
while I waited
for the light to change,
his red and my red
speaking to one another
the way elements
of some still-life do.

The light did change,
he flew away,
as I passed beneath
pool felt green,
I thought how like
attracts like,

I’m drawn to the dour plum,
others to the golden light
angling in
from an unseen window.
When I think of my poor wife,

how unhappy she must be.