Part 1 - The Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

I never will forget that ruby crown,
That royal cap upon a common head,
That flashed before me in a sunlit bed
Of pond-side shrubbery when I glanced down.

What joy coursed through me that October day
To see that brilliant cap -- really a crest
The male can raise when Springtime comes, to test
His readiness for mating to display!

But I was fortunate, so late the year,
To see what only patience can excuse:
A glimpse of one of Nature’s rarest hues
That took a million eons to prepare.

What more to say when Nature lets us see beyond
The hum-drum magic of a kinglet by a pond!

Part 2 - Priscilla’s Smile

I never will forget your constant smile,
More precious for your body’s valiant fight,
A smile that radiates a warm delight
With children, life, and friends that stay awhile.

How like the ruby crown, the kinglet’s prize,
That makes this eager birdwatcher its friend!
I wait for Spring though Winter never end
To see its crown again with my own eyes.

Your smile is like that crown -- a pledge, a vow,
That though the bird and you may go away,
Its crown, your smile, and Nature’s love of play
That made them, will return to me somehow.

Yes, I will seek your smile, your beauty, that I know survives,
And hope to find it in a million happy lives.