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
