Eight feet away
outside my bedroom window
a rufus hummer scarcely larger
than a bumble bee
sucks sugar from the pink
and white accacia blossoms
that perch on fernlike leaves
flowers like faces
open to the sky
each flower a spray
of threadlike filaments
hard even to believe
the hummer's tongue is thin enought
to reach within and draw the liquid
that powers her wings
wings that are flicking faster
than the eye can catch
I watch a moment
take it as a sign
it's time to shake off sleep
wake up! she says
wake up and start the day
there's no more time to lose
the honey's in the flower
the flower won't last
the sun's above the hills
before you'd best
be on your way!