She rook a somber stroll one day
In hopes to clear her mind
She came upon a rundown shack
The bleakest you could find
Its outer walls covered in vines
’twas dark and dusty too
And peering through its window pane
A storm began to brew
The storm and cabin fit her mood
The lady dressed in black
She made her way into the wood
With hope of bringing back
A memory of olden days
And love now long forgotten
But, ‘neath the sky’s increasing grays
More gloom was all she’d gotten
Until she looked upon the tree
Out on a tiny branch
A cardinal sat so happily
Amid the sky so blanch
She thought back to the olden days
Their birding days of yore
When through a tear, a smile displayed
As rain began to pour
Really good meter! I like the visual of the bright cardinal in the midst of all the gloom. Would be fun to create an image to go with this poem.