Hummingbird (2)

Posted on by

humming moon-2

Hummingbird (2)

It embraces what the mind cannot.
To touch, to be
acquired in the way that light

is drawn to the seed’s
core, one must imagine
silence in the purity of

space – that emptiness between
thought and utterance – filled
with what precedes

intent. The movement
has no end; it is

the breath inhaling us all.

glasshummer

27 thoughts on “Hummingbird (2)”

  2. “…filled/ with what precedes intent…” The “what” here is the heart of the mystery of all being.
    When my son was seven, he was interested in neurology (I know, that statement sounds outrageous apart from the immediate context that spawned it, and even within that context — lol! Little man has never failed to keep me on my toes…). I had been reading to him and showing him illustrations in textbooks about how nerve impulses arise from thoughts about intent and then propagate to the given anatomical structure required to carry out that intent. But when he observed, “Thoughts cause the electrical impulses that enable movement, but what precedes and enables thoughts? To my knowledge, no one has yet answered that question. It must be something that is pre-conscious, and therefore, impossible to observe/measure… It’s akin to the “what” that makes a hummingbird — its structure, movement, ostensible moments of rest, and seemingly impossible energy configuration, that is light-years beyond our comprehension — a “what” which undeniably IS.
    This is how I understood this inspiring poem, anyway. Am I even close?

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓

    • Sorry there’s no editing feature for comments. Looks like I left the following thought from above unfinished:

      But when he observed, “Thoughts cause the electrical impulses that enable movement, but what precedes and enables thoughts?” I didn’t have an answer. To my knowledge, no one has yet answered that question.

      Hope it makes a bit more sense now…

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply ↓

    • Yes! You have captured much of what I hope is there. The liminal, the between, the before. I’ve never outgrown the “why?” stage, and this poem is an example of that. 🙂 I have few answers but questions abound!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  6. that “emptiness between thought and utterance,” has been the undoing of many. this poem is loaded. that space is never empty because, like you rightly infer, that’s where the hummingbird resides. love the symbolism of the hummingbird. nice one, Robert.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  7. Pingback: Hummingbird (2) — O at the Edges – booklocker

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.