Three short haiku turn a winter landscape into something quietly joyful. In the first, the speaker looks at a cardinal and sees a "red flame" that seems almost unnecessary. Nothing in the bleak season demands such beauty, yet it is there, and the speaker takes that as part of "the purpose of God." Beauty becomes a kind of gift, or even a reason for being.
The second haiku pictures the cardinals against the snow. Their feathers look like red flags marking the oaks, or trim on a white garment. The colors are sharp and clean: red on bright white.
The last haiku shifts to a smaller bird, the chickadee, who seems to call out "Spring" too soon. The speaker wonders what stirred in its heart to make it do so. The question is gentle and a little amused.
Together, the poems create a mood of wonder and hope. Winter is still here, but life and color keep breaking through it.