Lawrence Hall
Dispatches for the Colonial Office
The Ruby-Throated Grand Scheme of Things
The last hummingbird of the season, perhaps,
A tail-end Charlie, this mid-October pilgrim
Stopping a moment at the dollar-store feeder
On El Camino Real to Mexico
To what king will this royal messenger report?
His legions of the air and summer flowers
Are gathering in from all over the Americas
To winter in mysterious valleys and hidden fields
L’envoi:
We can’t know where your long journey will end
But God speed you as you fly with the wind, little friend
