cardinal cooper rasha Johnny? Oh, no. My old-man retirement name can’t be Johnny. I dated a Johnny once and had to break up with him because he had leopard-print boxers. It was a nightmare.” I hang the picture on the living room wall and we stay up all night, watching a light snow coat the ground, laughing until our stomachs are sick, and scooping up melted ice cream cake with our fingers. We fall asleep on the floor around 4 AM, and I wake an hour later when I hear my father’s key in the front door. “Hey, Bug,” he whispers when I wave to him. Marisol is dreaming, her leg kicking sporadically, her mouth moving without making any sounds. “The storm was kind of a bust, eh? Moved out to sea, I guess.” “Why’d you stay so long?” I ask. “I promised I would,” he says. He notices the cardinal on the wall and stares at it for a minute. “Where’d that come from?” “Marisol took it. It’s my other birthday present.” “I’ve always liked cardinals,” he says quietly. “I hear they’re good luck,” I say. The snowflakes continue to fall outside and my father continues staring at the bird in the frame. “Those wings,” he says. “It’s almost like he’s saying hello.” “Or goodbye.” “Or,” my father says, pulling off his wet gloves and letting his hands get warm, “maybe both.” 130107 ... styxx oh, bird...you are dingy and grey, marking you as female, i suppose. you have been tap, tap, tapping my bathroom window on every sunny day for a year now. so what? what is it? do you see yourself in the reflection and mistakenly think its a friendly face? or are you trying to tell me something? 130118 ... gabbie seriously sister, go find your friend 130313 what's it to you? who go blather from