Dance of the Hummingbird

Love came on hummingbird wings
Dancing jewel of light in the waning sun
Brave, defiant messenger of Spring
Mocking winter's stealth approach
Spinning magic threads of hope;
In whispered dreams she beckons, "come"
Bathe in laughter, joy and fun
Love's sweet nectar savoring.

Still spectre's bitter breath descended
Their dancing flight of joy is ended
As hope is quenched in dying embers
A fainting flutter bids their hearts "remember"

The courageous heart on fairy wings
Is still a fleet and fragile thing
And surrendering without a sound
Falls lifeless on the frozen ground.


In Native American animal lore, the medicine of the hummingbird is joy, happiness and love.


A few years back when I was much more connected to Native America, I gained a lot of insight from "animal medicine" and how the behavior of certain animals or their turning up in your life at certain times conveyed messages, gave direction or warning, or revealed something about your current situation or attitude. I've had a number of rather unusual experiences involving animals. One of the strangest occurred over the past 3 months.

Since living in the Ozarks, I've become an avid birdwatcher and really enjoy watching the wide variety of birds that are attracted to my feeders. Hummingbirds are one of my favorites, as I'm sure they are for many. They come on the scene about mid-April and very predictably leave for their winter migration never later than October 12. This year was different. Each day I would look out the window, expecting the feeders to be abandoned, but every day there continued to be at least one or two hummingbirds still making frequent appearances. I thought it odd, but it wasn't until well into November that I really began to question how they could survive, especially since we'd had some very cold nights, but still they kept coming.

Into December and through several freezes they returned. They have to feed frequently, so I had to alternate the feeders because they would freeze up. It's very odd to see hummingbirds feeding in the snow. It just ain't natural. Of course, I continued to enjoy them, but at the same time I fretted over them and pondered what it was that possessed them to remain so long after their families had gone. Several suggested that it was the presence of the feeders, but that isn't the case. Hummingbirds migrate in response to a combination of light and hormonal changes. I've always left the feeders out until I'm sure the last one is gone.

So, Christmas came and went, and then the New Year and still the hummingbirds remained. Even others who lived nearby were puzzled by it. They didn't have hummingbirds, despite the presence of feeders. Then, in mid-January, there was a severe and extended freeze, and the hummingbirds vanished, seemingly overnight.

I never made a connection between the presence of the hummingbirds and what was occuring in my life at that time...until now. In mid-October, I began corresponding with someone...or I should say, he began corresponding with me. Despite my lack of interest, he persuaded me to meet him. What followed was two months filled with joy, laughter and love. I was happier than I'd ever been in my life. Then one day, something happened and in an instant he was gone without a word. It was that same week that the freeze came and the hummingbirds never returned.


Interesting facts about hummingbirds:

They can perch, but cannot walk. They can only fly, but can fly in any direction.

They have an astonishing ability to broadcast color.

They can see ultraviolet light.

At 4.2% of their weight, they have the largest brain, proportionately, of all birds.