I am boiling water for coffee when he arrives. I am aware of his presence, I cannot see him yet, I only hear the whirr of his wings beating the air into an invisible froth. I look to the left and he appears, as suddenly as any lovely surprise. He hovers inches from my face. He is bold. He is curious; so am I.
It is disconcerting to have his sharp, nectar sipping beak so close to my wide open eyes but I remain that way,
still,
welcoming,
resolute,
gripping the olive branch of my heart,
with peace on my lips.
He comes and goes over the solid tick-tock of an hour, maybe more. Watching me, returning repeatedly to hover inches from my face — his eye contact is earnest, I think I see tenderness there and a glimmer of omniscience.
I sit and sip my coffee. I watch him flit through an open truck door, buzz around the interior space, checking out my digs (the truck pales in comparison to the nest he built with his lover), he zooms out the opposite door and returns to hover at my face, speaking some inaudible language that I cannot answer, or hear, or understand.
He lands on a willow branch above the chattering creek and watches me from a distance. The morning light is golden, turning his emerald feathers to jewels. His breast is pale and flecked with umber. I think I have a crush on him or maybe this is the ultimate phileo love.
He is my brother.
Eventually, he leaves me and I decide I will remember this place as the place I had an excellent sleep, the place I cooled my feet in the creek, the place I met a cherished friend.
Hummingbirds have always been a symbol of peace for me…of harmony. They have continued to appear in my life at times when all seems lost, as a reminder of hope and beauty. Often, in the most unlikely places. What a blessing.
Pure poetry, Jillian. I felt this way as one of my hummingbird friends, a gal, buzzed me repeatedly while doing porch yoga!! <3 If you ever have more moon prints, I still want one!! 🙂
Lovely!
so good.
so you.
xx
I talk to my hummingbirds that come by my window in the chaotic ci-tay… and make sure their feeders are filled with fresh nectar always. I try to figure out their stories and sometimes just try to figure out if I’ve seen that one before…. before they zoom away.
Pure poetry. Someday when you announce the publication of your first book, I will do a little dance and pre-order it immediately. 🙂
I too!
Just got buzzed this morning. It was unexpected and I let out a little cry…not quite sure at first whom was whizzing past my face so close. Sounded fierce! Hadn’t seen a hummingbird around here in quite awhile. Seems like most of them split after things heat up here in Tejas. They are amazing and I wonder what it’s like to see the world through their perception. Is everything faster? 🙂
Gentle attracts gentle. Birds are all kinds of good…
I love these types of encounters, they are truly special and leave you feeling changed at a soul level. Have you read The Fastest Things on Wings? It’s written by a hummingbird rehabber in Los Angeles and is a lovely and engaging read. After flying (haha, puns!) through it, I realized that these tiny creatures are, in fact, magical.
Thanks for being here, darlin’s! X
Dear Jillian, what a beautiful piece of poetry. XX