beija-flor

i found a hummingbird

trapped in secret kitchen cobwebs

a weightless emerald twirling slowly

in a gentle midday breeze.

i dragged a chair beneath her

climbed and reached out, trembling

and took her in my hand.

softer than air, lighter than breath,

heart heaving from the shock of it all.

i kept my right palm flat

and stepped to the tiles below.

my left hand opened cabinets, turned the faucet

and swirled sugar and water on a silver tablespoon.

i bowed her beak to the nectar

and plucked gossamer shackles from her feathers.

at once, her tongue flicked out

and my eyes brimmed with dread

as blood blossomed into the syrup.

i felt her lot throughout my soul

i’d known it my whole life:

the slightest gust of wind was all it ever took

to whisk her from her wanderings

and bind her in dust against the ceiling.

now held in the fist of God

one pinch, one clutch to crush her:

the fate of the stunned and stranded nomad

spilled over my lashes

and slipped down my cheek.

but amidst my sighing chorus

my bated, whispered prayers

she raised her little head

and --

with a shimmering shuffle

a flutter, winking, realigning --

came to stand upon my fingers.

spreading wings of viridian silk,

she took sudden flight toward the lakes

and left me alone on the floor.