Poetry Sunday: Hummingbirds by Jonathan Greene


Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird with Hamelia patens blossom.

From Jonathan Greene, an appreciation of those amazing flying jewels, hummingbirds. I do indeed consider myself blessed by their visits. 

Hummingbirds

by Jonathan Greene

Can fly every which way.
Taught helicopters to rise
straight up from the ground.

What does not work for us
works for them: being overly industrious,
overeating, surviving a sweet tooth,
a non-stop exuberance.

No down time to sing alleluias,
even after arriving at a distant home,
having crossed continents.

Never thinking to preen
to show off a ruby throat,
iridescent feathers.

Consider yourself blessed
by their visits.

Comments

  1. mudpuddleJuly 10, 2021 at 10:35 PM

    lovely... we have lots of them also. they can see in plane polarized light, meaning they see more colors than humans do, among their other extraordinary abilities...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Esther @ BiteIntoBooksJuly 11, 2021 at 3:12 AM

    AH! Beautiful. Hummingbirds are some of my favorite birds :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. David M. Gascoigne,July 11, 2021 at 5:34 AM

    Blessed is an understatement, Dorothy. We had a gorgeous male at our feeder yesterday and I was transported to another realm!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 11, 2021 at 8:48 AM

      They do have that ability to transport us, don't they?

      Delete
  4. Rajani RehanaJuly 11, 2021 at 10:13 AM

    Awesome post

    ReplyDelete
  5. AlanaJuly 11, 2021 at 2:39 PM

    We have possibly two female ruby throats visiting our window feeder now (not at the same time). I am constantly amazed and thrilled by them. One day last week I was reading in my yard and suddenly I became aware of the hummingbird hovering near me. It made a kind of kissing sound and then flew away. I was sitting right under the feeder that time because that's where I could be in the shade in early afternoon. Perhaps she didn't want my presence? I went inside the house. (we did check the feeder to make sure there was plenty of good liquid in it because when I looked up the sound, the article said sometimes hummers will tell you when the feeder is out of sugar water.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 11, 2021 at 3:39 PM

      They are clever little birds. It wouldn't surprise me to learn one was trying to communicate with us.

      Delete
  6. Brian's Home BlogJuly 11, 2021 at 6:56 PM

    That was very pretty and we love watching those hummers!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Butterfly ReaderJuly 12, 2021 at 10:43 AM

    Lovely. I’ve only seen one hummingbird before but it was so pretty and I loved the sound they make.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 12, 2021 at 10:49 AM

      Their twittering is a very distinctive and happy sound.

      Delete
  8. Lark July 12, 2021 at 12:41 PM

    I always feel lucky when I see a hummingbird! And what a great poem. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 12, 2021 at 1:27 PM

      It is a very good characterization of the little flying jewels.

      Delete

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