Darting from bush to tree, the cardinal 
looks like a scarlet fish swimming 
through blue water, its wings a blur
of fins. Wind rustling in treetops 
sometimes sounds like new rain. 
For a few moments at least, dawn
can be mistaken for twilight.
Things resemble other things,
that’s no surprise. But in the end, 
we need to know what it is, 
not what it’s like – if morning’s coming sooner
or later, if our lungs are filling with air
or water. We can only tell ourselves 
we’re laughing, not crying, for so long.