Slowing down

There is pleasure in washing dishes
by the window, hands soaked in warm water,
eyes fixed on the wonders of the world.
Hummingbird in the blooms,
goldfinches and juvenile cardinals,
and the summer that will leave us soon.
A young cardinal alights on a branch,
full of adolescent wonder,
its orange bill shining under
the hot mid-day sun.
I took a seat in the shade
seized first by its mellow chirps
and then by its silent stares.
And there on the grateful tree
the bird sat for a long time
much longer than I could manage
to pause the thoughts in my mind.