Those who have ears to hear - a poem

For years I have been listening 
for this call in the vernal dusk. Like the sudden whiff 
of a luring scent, my ears perceived, my heart raced.
What did I hear? Chirp and warble and whirling dash; 
faint, smothered by the whine of speeding cars. 
Yet piercing and true I heard it sure. 
Discipline and desire prepared me for this moment, 
this frenzied tiptoe across the road at the brink of night. 
My eyes were dark; my mind perceived with insight. Yes! 
There it was. Gentle yet aptly strong, illumining 
the dark, the woodcock shared his song of praise. 
I like to think that God joined me then in smiling.