A Natural Friend

(Photo my own)

I sat on the deck with eyes closed
warm in the sun, when the buzz
of wings roused me.
I opened my eyes and saw him
before my face, in a fluttered pause,
gazing at me, curious
to inspect this form
on a lime green cushion 
in a red flowered shirt.

I was stunned with the beauty
of his presence.

My task was to keep the nectar flowing.
His was to delight with antics
as he and his partner danced 
and tussled like siblings,
feeding, then fleeing, taking turns
as if there were one perch, not four.

Then the young ones arrived
with shimmering wings,
and more refreshment was needed
as the party grew.
When the feeder emptied,
he and she would approach,
pause to look at me,
and dance back and forth
until I received the message.

And one day in the fall
my friends departed
for warmer climates, as we will
when the snows begin to mound.
For now, I feel the loss
as wasps replace the hummers
and the flowers drop in the growing cold.
I remember my pleasure
standing inches from the feeder
as they learned to trust me,
stationed behind the glass.

I believe in their return,
that we will resume our conversation
as if they never left.
Some warm morning, eyes closed in the sun,
a buzz of wings will rouse me,
and laughter and joy will rise again
as they simply live fully
in the bliss of their own being.