Reason not with the wren:
Where it builds its nest or
Why it sings, why the constant
Happy hopping once the season
Warms to spring, why it roosts
In wreaths on front doors
Or high corners of the porch,
Why it’s always on a mission,
Leaf in beak like a relay torch,
Why the indomitable caroling from
Pre-dawn into the night,
Why the cheerful chirps that
Bely its size as it hails the world
From a tree branch or the back porch.

No, reason not with the wren—
Stop to listen instead and learn from him:
To build, sing, dance, rest, share
Every day with selfsame hope.
And know that each dawn sufficient
Brings a cause for caroling.

Inspired by late-night musings, the Carolina wren (one of my favorite little songbirds), and Thomas Hardy’s lovely poem “The Darkling Thrush.” Oh, and spring. 🌷

Rather fittingly, the photo I found in my archives to use in this post is one I took from my bedroom window in April 2020. Even in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Carolina wren was hopping around delivering me smiles.