Almost Time (Cardinal Wisdom)

She waits
peacefully, silently.
They found and
built the nesting place
together, but
the incubation is her task.
It was her task to
bear the eggs,
to warm and watch,
to wait.
Nestled upon fragments,
woven sticks and leaves,
held secure by branched support,
beneath the canopy
of the Japenese Maple’s red leaves,
she remains hidden and at rest.
Shaded from the sun’s heat
and sheltered from hard rains
she waits.
Peaceful.  Silent,
yet alert to every
sound and movement.
She listens and
pays attention.
Always her mate is near.
Always his nearby song
reassures her she is not alone.
From his own hidden places
he calls to her
and she hears.
He comes to her,
she need not move.
He feeds her and retreats
only to come again and again,
in song,
gently, carefully,
offering food for sustaining,
keeping watch over his
mate and brood
day by day until
it is time.
And then…
 
Come, mate of my soul
and feed me as we wait together.
Protect me with your vigilance
for the time is coming near when
outer shells must crack open
for new life, new flight.