I WENT LOOKING FOR THE HUMMINGBIRD

I went looking today for the hummingbird
among the grass and honeysuckle on the hill behind the house.
I had seen him there on other days flitting among the blossoms,
dipping his head from his helicopter hover
to drink a nectar I can smell but cannot taste.

While I waited in the tall grass beside the fence,
he darted in to take a drink
but flew a circle first to check the scene,
then settled into a quiet hover
turning slowly in the center of the little clearing
until his gaze was fixed on me.
My breathing all but stopped to keep him there,
but he knew I didn’t belong.
This was his place, not mine.
It was I who had to go.
I clutched my pride and walked back up the hill
knowing that without invitation I had come too close.
I watched from a greater distance
knowing at least that I had been acknowledged.