Thanagila

by Edward J. Herdrich

Thanagila, the name given by those who first saw her here,

Medicine of joy and love, the warmth of the sun brought near,

Her delicate beauty observed and revered

Her strength and speed, protector, not feared.

Undulating rhythms of iridescent green and ruby red

Waves of beauty cross her breast, back and head,

And the thin, probing beak gently moves into blooms

Brighter color in nature, not to brides but to grooms.

With my morning coffee, when in stillness I sit,

Her swift, silky movement joins on the feeder alit,

Up and down she hovers, wings just a blur

Side to side when it suits, even drawing close

Intoxicating moments, even in a small dose.

As she leaves, on her way who knows where

Flitting past my head, thrumming I hear

For the speed of her wings and the hovering motion

Perhaps cause for the name humming, and that notion.

As I smile for the beauty I now know

Think perhaps, in numbers, the indigenous, tremolo.