The Sign That Opened My Ears

Posted bymarialbergPosted inpoetry, promptsTags:, , , , ,
Eye of the Hummingbird by Maria L. Berg 2022

The Poetics prompt today at dVerse Poets Pub is about signs. We had three choices:

a) recall an experience you’ve had where you’ve asked for a sign, or came upon a sign unasked-for, and interpreted it and write a poem about the experience, preferably in first person.

b) do some research and find a myth, legend, or story about asking for or interpreting signs and write a poem about what you find.

c) be the world creator and design your own signs and write a poem about it for others to be amazed and inspired by when they read it.

(I went with a).

The Sign That Opened My Ears

I don’t remember why we were talking about hummingbirds
I think you were telling me your brother had put up a feeder
and hummingbirds were coming to that little balcony
overlooking parked cars and traffic in the city.

Here, surrounded by trees, looking at the lake, I had just said,
“I’ve never seen hummingbirds out here,” and then VROOM
there he was, so close to my eye: his needle-like beak
could have pierced my iris.

His wings, vibrating so quickly they sounded like jet engines,
were invisible blurs at the sides of his tiny, shiny body.
“Ooo hummingbird,” I said,
and he darted away.

We sat stunned to silence
then both started laughing.
The tiny visitor was a sign, or a message from a joker god
Mother Nature telling me I just wasn’t paying attention.

Now I see him everywhere.
I know his sounds: his song, and his sharp chirp
at the height of his flight, yelling “look at me” to the pretty lady birds
before dive-bombing the bushes like a meteor hitting the atmosphere.

Backlit Hummingbird by Maria L. Berg 2020

Published by marialberg

I am an artist—abstract photographer, fiction writer, and poet—who loves to learn. Experience Writing is where I share my adventures and experiments. Time is precious, and I appreciate that you spend some of your time here, reading and learning along with me. I set up a buy me a coffee account, https://buymeacoffee.com/mariabergw (please copy and paste in your browser) so you can buy me a beverage to support what I do here. It will help a lot.

23 thoughts on “The Sign That Opened My Ears”

  4. p.s. ” a joker god
    Mother Nature telling me I just wasn’t paying attention.”

    spot on Maria!
    p.s. the very same thing happened to me as I was walking a field wondering why there were no pheasants just as one flew up from my feet

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  6. I love reading poems about hummingbirds as we don’t have them here – and I love your backlit photo, Maria, and the way you describe the hummingbird’s movement and sound. I’m surprised he doesn’t take a bow!

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  10. Lovely poem about the Hummingbird and I love that you see the hummingbird everywhere. I have never seen one but I think they may be like our honeyeaters here in Oz. Birds seem to be the carrier of signs…as I too wrote of birds. 🙂

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