Rescuing a Hummingbird
Everyone else leaves it banging
its tiny beak against the glass,
its high-speed heart beating,
body rippling with panic.
I rack my brain for hummingbird research
done when I was six. If I pick it up
will its wing-oil perish?
Will its button lungs collapse?
I have no answers but take the risk—
cup my hands and coo: it’s okay
little one, it’s okay,
as the bird terror-spreads its wings
through my fingers, begging:
don’t let me die, don’t let me die,
until we reach the open door
and it jumps into the jungle trees,
a flash of iridescent green.
Christina Thatcher is a PhD student at Cardiff University and Poetry Editor for The Cardiff Review. Her poetry and short stories can be found in over 40 magazines and her first collection, More than you were, was published by Parthian Books. To learn more about Christina’s work please visit her website: christinathatcher.com or follow her on Twitter @writetoempower.
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