It's freezing outside.

yet the sun is shining. 

A lone sparrow has been chirping

in the bush next to my front porch. 

I heard her as I awakened, 

and all through the morning. 

So much to say to no one.

So much to sing about. 

In a few hours I will fly 

across the country. 

Working on the long weekend, 

in a hotel by the airport. 

I am not excited to go, 

to be surrounded by people. 

But I will go, say more than I should, 

flirt with someone I will never see again. 

I will find a spot in the light, 

and soak in the California heat. 

There is something assuring 

about my new bird friend.

How she is self-sufficient, beckoning, 

willing to spout off, 

work through it, 

sing her way back to herself. 

It is freezing outside, 

yet the sun is shining. 

She knows it, and 

does not let it go to waste.