~James Oppenheim
I know my wildlife photography friends can do this in their sleep, but I was thrilled to get these shots (with my phone) when I visited Ariana in St Louis! Many hummingbirds come to her feeder each day and I was able to get some of them used to me.
The Humming-Bird
by Richard Burton
Is it a monster bee,
Or is it a midget bird,
Or yet an air-born mystery
That now yon marigold has stirred,
And now on vocal wing
To a neighbor bloom is whirred,
In an aery ecstasy, in a passion of pilfering?
***********
The first stanza of To a Humming-Bird
by John Vance Cheney
Voyager on golden air,
Type of all that's fleet and fair,
Incarnate gem,
Live diadem
Bird-beam of the summer day, —
Whither on your sunny way?
***********
The Humming-Bird
by Jones Very
Like thoughts that flit across the mind,
Leaving no lasting trace behind,
The humming-bird darts to and fro,
Comes, vanishes before we know.
***********
I've been reading Nature's Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy and have been utterly fascinated by it.
Buffy Silverman is the Poetry Friday host. Thanks, Buffy!
Reminder! Don't forget to turn in your IMPERFECT II submissions by June 30th!
One last thing! This week, Jone is sharing the poem I wrote her for the Summer Poem Swap: A blessing for those who cultivate words
18 comments:
I do love the hummingbirds. I don't feed them, but have some darting among the flowers. I love that you captured the "passion of pilfering", te he, such a fun ending to that one. And I love the others, "bird beam of the summer day" & "thoughts that flit across the mind." Ah, so many wonders in our world. Thanks, Tabatha!
I miss hummingbirds! Your photos and the poems you shared make my heart flutter like these wee birds' wings, Tabatha. We don't have hummingbirds in CH, but we do have Hummingbird Hawk-moths that look an awful lot like the real deal. One visited my balcony last fall and I wrote a post about it: http://www.weewordsforweeones.com/2020/10/good-omen.html
Wow, that animation is great! I haven't seen any hummingbirds this year, but we have been inundated with Cicadas.
What a perfect post for this week--I'm seeing hummingbirds and fireflies and smile at their return. Great capture on your phone!
What amazing photos (I didn't know google could animate a series like that - very cool!).
Thanks for sharing your photos and the poems that celebrate them!
Lovely, all of your poetry excepts. And photos. Hummingbirds amaze everyone it seems, and how could they not, they way they hover and their graceful shape and color. ,
Tabatha,
I love your photos with motion. Well done. Thank you for the poems you've shared.
Such a great observation:
"Is it a monster bee,
Or is it a midget bird,"
And I love
"bird-beam of the summer day"
Oh, lucky you! I've not seen any yet although they do typically visit our monster trumpet vine that cannot be contained...I love how (of course) these poems must be similar but find ways to express the wonder over and over variously!
Enjoy your visit and let me know when you're home.
PS--Your cookbook (which somehow I thought was about actual crockery, perhaps because of IMPERFECT) looks delicious and delightful. Wow, what a family labor of love! I hope you're selling it somewhere!
You KNOW I love this! My hummingbirds have never once paid the slightest bit of attention to my feeders, so the real flowers are obviously keeping them happy. I love them so much, and I've never read any of these poems before! <3
Love all the hummingbird goodness here. They are indeed very fairytale-like. Nice photos -- didn't know about Google animation. Pretty cool!
Those hummingbird photos are mighty fine! I've been trying to take some at our feeder with my phone to text to my offspring, and it's a challenge. Did not know about the google animation tool--will have to check it out. Thanks for the hummingbird trio, too.
This made me laugh: "Is it a monster bee,
Or is it a midget bird"
We don't feed them, so it's extra special when one comes to our coral bells or sweet peas (AND we manage to witness it)!
Thanks, all! To be honest, I don't know anything about the Google animation tool...Google makes them without me asking and then shows me.
I love me some hummingbirds. This line: In an aery ecstasy, in a passion of pilfering? Lovely!
Submissions almost ready to send.
Thank you for the shout out. Sorry I was a tad bit late in posting.
Your photos are wonderful! And I love all the poems you shared, too. Still waiting for the hummingbirds to show up here.
Thanks for this rendezvous post with hummingbirds Tabatha, they’re another of my favorite birds. And as James Oppenheim put it so well, you dipped “into the flowers of my heart.” Love your hummingbird pics, and the link to “Nature’s Best Hope—” I’m going to check it out! I have some poems coming your way.
We had our first hummingbird visitor of the summer last week. I love that Ariana attracts these "voyagers on golden air" to her home.
I'm printing out your poem for Jone to keep in my notebook. Beautiful!
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