Life observed

An examined life requires sufficient pause to
Appreciate dirty ice in the sun baked median.
Unexpected joy is being present--driving through
An icy landscape of chopped corn in a warm car.

Pale, late winter sun warms my face and legs,
Begging me to roll down the window.
I hear the distant sound of birds' wings beating;
Still remote, robins nearly precipitate from the air.

Between the legs of a lonely stop sign dead grass
Shakes and jitters with the chill spring wind.
Take its name while you wait for the light to turn--
The sum total of its purpose a glance before work.