Hummingbird

by Chris Frederick

Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird—
equal seekers of sweetness.
                                                            —Mary Oliver

Your wings unfold
in a blur of blue-green petals
as you hover stop-motion

                                                at the opening
                                                of each blooming bud:
                                                hibiscus, lily, yellow bell.

The nectar-starved spear-
point of your beak thrusts
inward, tongue slithering

                                                out like a small snake
                                                to imbibe the sweetness
                                                in every open flower.

What is a life
spent seeking
only sweetness?

                                                Even at such speeds
                                                you flit across the edge
                                                of starvation; the effort

overwhelms your body,
weighting each wing
with hunger.

- end -

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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