Poetry Friday round-up is with Penny. Yee Haw!
I am glad that August is over. It was a rough month down here in South Louisiana, but the hummingbirds have come. There is hope for fall, even though there is a hurricane in the Gulf and temperatures hit 95 degrees today.
Photo and poem by Margaret Simon
Reflections on the Teche 
Oh, my, your last line nearly killed me. I hope September rectifies all that went wrong in August. Take care.
I love this poem- it speaks to the resilience of the human spirit, and of the hummingbird.
I can’t stop thinking about hummingbirds. I watch them every day and I’m so pleased by their presence.
You’ve put all that terrible time into those words “the sky growls for more attention”. Well done, Margaret, and you’ve added hope into the words, too.
I love the idea of the sky growling for attention. I hope you stay dry for a while, Margaret. Enjoy the hummingbirds.
I hope hurricane season isn’t too awful this year. We are all a bit scarred by hurricanes past. I hope you and your hummingbirds have a peaceful, plentiful harvest.
Tropical Storm Hermine turned to Florida, so we are hot and dry. Thanks.
We need the rain. I hope we get some.
You have beautifully expressed the trauma of folks in your area. Hope September put on her sunniest face and brightens life for all.
“flip-flops stick in the muck” and “the sky growls for more attention”
whoa! You bring the messy drama to our senses. And then the hope of the hummingbird. Just gorgeous!
Messy drama, indeed, but the sun is shining and the mornings a bit cooler. Hope on the horizon.
If I had to describe you in two words, Margaret? I think I’d choose “resilience” and “hope.” Your poetry shimmers with those characteristics, as well. Wishing you better days to come.
Thanks. I find solace in nature. (When it isn’t threatening, that is.)
I love that out of the awfulness of August this poem was born, Margaret. Hummingbirds are great for lifting spirits. =)
Thanks.
I hope those hummingbirds find the feeder soon. We’ve been reading about Louisiana’s troubles in our local paper and my heart goes out to all of you there who’ve been tormented by the floods and storms. Hope the autumn is gentler.
Thanks for your concern. Things are looking better.
May you always have hummingbirds!
I wish. They just stop by in the fall and spring before heading south or north.
“We rose up” speaks to the tenacity of those in your region. Hoping today’s growling sky calms down quickly (so you can put that feeder out again).
I watch the hummers every day. The tropical storm went to Florida so our weather is hot and dry. We need it.
Wishing you an easier September, filled with hummingbirds!
Margaret,
Thank you for sharing your hummingbirds. The little hummers do not get to Hawaii and I miss them.
And I thought Hawaii was paradise. How was Australia?
Resilience and hope, but also tenacity and grit and wiliness. Where do the hummingbirds go for shelter in the storms?
That remains a mystery. Thanks.
ooooooooooooooohhhhh….the sky growling for more attention. Yes, it does that. So glad the feeders are back up. Those hummingbirds are precious little fighters.
Sorry about your rough August, but thanks for turning it into poetry!
Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Margaret, thank you for this lovely poem with its growly sky and winged seekers! I often feel bad for the hummingbirds when I let the feeder run dry — there they are, wondering what happened, why did that reliable flower dry up? BUT. I suspect they don’t waste a lot of time worrying, simply move on. We humans can learn a lot from them! xo
Margaret, our sky too has been growling for attention as grey clouds pass by. Your words are memorable, filled with the reality of what you witnessed, and still full of hope. I find them comforting as we wait for a big rush of water to hit Long Island. My husband just heard that the east end of Long Island is being evacuated. This is so hard to imagine since the past 3 days have been filled with pleasant nights. Thank you for your poem filled with imagery.
I am wishing you well, Margaret. This is such a touching poem, and I love how you wove in the hummingbird as a gift of hope for all.
I love all the details in this, Margaret, the flip flops sticking in the mud and the sky growling for more attention. Touching last line, reminding me, we need each other. So glad you survived and got a poem out of it to boot!