A Robin's Nest in Snow by Nikki Giovanni

Outside the window of my den Where I sit usually counting clouds Or airplanes or chipmunks scurrying by On a snowy day I still see The nest through the flurries

Snowflakes are so delicate they melt On your tongue Sit proudly on your shoulders Tangle themselves in your braids

Last spring I didn't know A bird had made a home In my river birch There was activity but I thought It was the crepe myrtle Only when the tree exhales Did the life reveal itself

The snow piled up neatly Filling the crevice Hopefully destroying the viruses and bacteria That can attack the young still blind robins And I a survivor of lung cancer nestle Hope in my heart that no harm will remain When Spring and birds return

— Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea by Nikki Giovanni (Page 6)