Hummingbird
The thought makes
trembling so
incomplete, a consequence
of knowledge attained. I look out
and see leaves flitting in the dusk,
the air closing around them
like the mouth of an old well
swallowing light. Such
hunger we find difficult
to comprehend. The wind shivers
through our lives and repeats itself,
though differently each time.
Every departure is a return.
“Hummingbird” made it’s first appearance on the blog in December 2014. I wrote it in the 1980s, probably between 1987-1989.
O at the Edges 
Pretty and elusive.
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Oh, those hummingbirds!
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This is so dense and gorgeous, Robert!
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Thank you, Nadia. Birds flit through quite a few of my poems, adding to the texture. Can’t seem to get away from them.
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And the wind. Another of your favorite images. But there are so many here, and so beautifully woven together. This may be one of my favorites.
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Oh, yes. The wind. There are others, too, and sometimes I have to deliberate whether to include these personal totems, or take the poem elsewhere. Sometimes I have no choice. 🙂
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I love hummingbirds… great post
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Aren’t they fascinating?
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The most certainly are my dear!!
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Superb shot!
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Thank you, Ashok. I wish I’d taken it. The photo is from morguefile.com.
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Welcome! I’m sure you’ll take superb pics of your own, as you wish.
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Alas, I am a horrible photographer, except by accident. 🙂
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I like the reference to the old well. Beautiful poem.
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Thank you. Old wells can be deep. 🙂
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I wrote a poem about that, based on your inspiration, and dedicated it to you. I hope you won’t find it too reminiscent of your own imagery (and if so, I apologize). I hope, of course, that you would like it. I guess I should’ve adked; it’s not something I usually do. Well, I hope you’ll like it.
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Randy, you’ve made it completely your own. Thank you for this honor.
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So much to admire in this one, Bob….even the blank spaces…where ALL of the great poets hide their best magic.
Call me soon? Yeah. I know…we just hung up a few minutes ago…but it seems like forever. *g*
Obi-Ron
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Sometimes I think blank pages contain my best work. 🙂
By the way, you have not yet set up your voice mail.
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The bird that swirls fast and enjoying sweet life – come and go, and return just like us. I love this one very much, Robert.
Wish you a lovely Friday!
(◕‿◕✿)
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Thank you, Sherrie. And may your weekend be wonderful and lovely, too.
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An aura of feel-goodness ! Love this Robert. Kamakhya
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Thank you! Hummingbirds have that effect on me.
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I would say that this is definitely one for “the book” 😉
What a privilege it is for me to glimpse the hunger that inspired your legacy of flight!
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I spent a lot of time observing birds back then, and wrote quite a few poems with birds functioning as the “take-off” points. With mixed results, I must admit.
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Touching. Do you have a book of poetry?
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Thank you. Yes, I have a chapbook, a micro-chapbook, and a chapbook-length work included in an anthology. You can find more information about them on my publications page. I also have two other chapbooks, another micro-chapbook, and a full-length book circulating out in the publishing world. Who knows if they’ll ever see the light of day?
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Stunningly beautiful poem. Stopped me dead in my thought-tracks…
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It’s an old one. I’m glad it still works. Much of what I wrote back then does not. And thank you!
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& mellifluous meditation on nature me thinks, regardless of the vacuuming effect of the well’s dark mouth. me thinks Roethke would have got on well in this poem.
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I think Roethke knew dark voids all too well.
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he sure did: he says in On the Poet & his Craft that before he gave lectures he would vomit as the stress of it paralyzed him. who also would crumple on the floor weeping when he completed a poem. a very sensitive man indeed. i don’t usually like love poetry but Roethke’s is immense. i believe him, unconditionally.
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Great subject for poetry. I love hummingbirds. Nice picture of an Anna’s (or Broadtail?) hummingbird sipping at an orange lantana. Emily Dickinson wrote an interesting hummingbird poem (the wing blur being the image of a wheel). I went on and on about them here: https://manuelgarciajr.com/2015/08/01/sugaring-the-sky-hummingbirds-near-me/
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Thanks for the link, Manuel. I recognize another hummingbird enthusiast!. I can’t identify the hummingbird from the photo, which I found on morguefile.com.
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I especially like ‘the mouth of an old well swallowing light’
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Old wells can be voracious!
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I love nature ,I have many hummingbirds visiting my garden and this relates to it
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They are amazing creatures, and much fun to observe.
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Nature is wonderful
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Yes, it certainly is.
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Thanks
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I love everything! Especially the photos. Oh my ❤
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Thank you. The photos are from morguefile.com.
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Pingback: Hummingbird – rocksandbones
Love this poem.
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Glad you like it Polly. And thanks for linking to it!
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It’s bloody fab. I’m envious! 😊
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You might enjoy Hummingbird 3 and 4, which are also on the blog.
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Namaskaram Robert, Nevermind that you did not physically take the hummingbird pictures, in my mind you did – you found them on a site! They are beautiful – I am using the first one right now as my screensaver for today and your incredibly moving poem I have printed off and is now stuck on the wall next to my PC. I lived for a long time in West Africa and right outside our private study window, facing my desk, was the Hummingbird’s “lets all get together” place. You can imagine, not much work was done – just watching them for some time took my thoughts away from any possible problems/troubles. Thank you for sharing this with us. Carina
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They are such incredibly fascinating creatures, aren’t they? And thank you very much. I’m honored that my poem has a place on your wall!
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Beautiful, Robert!
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Thank you, Dianne. I’ve taken much joy from watching these birds!
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