your heart and the sea

xviii. i the hummingbird

they say a hummingbird will die
if she stops flying
with no feet to hold her she'll crash
break her wings
and go the way of all flesh

and yet you hold her in your hands
crushing her wings beneath your fingers
(you don't realize the pain you cause her,
as she is so small and
she speaks so softly,
how could you ever understand?)
making sure she will never fly again
and thus that she will die

you don't know any better, you don't think
that you're hurting her.
you think she's beautiful,
want to see her up close,
want to make her into a perfect little pet
put her in a nice little birdcage
where she can clean
and chatter with her friends
and preen her feathers
and watch after her young
while you go out in the world
bring her back food and little treasures
fend off all things that go bump in the night
(you do not realize that this will kill her
that you are killing her)

(I HAVE NEVER BEEN ONE
FOR DOMESTIC LIFE)

the hummingbird you hold in your hands
is a girl of not-quite-five-feet
skin shimmering with freckles
pockets of sunlight on her nose
eyes the color of the ocean
and just as wild, drunk on saltwater

why hold her in your hands,
why not set her free?
her beauty is one that
can only be appreciated
not contained
would you try to cage her?
would you try to change her?

it will be hard for you to watch
this delicate pretty little thing
fly from place to place on her own
no help from nobody and certainly no man
but to domesticate her is to kill her
though that wild spark inside of her
will never burn out
so it's best not to try
for you will either have a dead hummingbird
restless in a cage that bites
the hand that tries to feed
or a live one, happy and free

•••
hummingbirds have feet and they won't die when they stop flying. i know those are just myths but please just ignore science and reason and let Poetry reign supreme