
Veronica Taylor
Hummingbirds
Updated: Jan 18, 2021
I decided to whisper

and be small.
I listen for unspoken words
and look for rolling eyes.
Being like I am,
there is just more to see
and with my silence,
I hear more than I ever could.
Being like I am,
I learned to talk to hummingbirds.
They got a lot to tell.
They know more than anybody
could ever know.
I told them secrets of my own.
They taught me about Honeysuckles
and sugar water.
I taught them to braid my hair
and give kind words.
We live together
in a small garden.
Even when spring comes,
They don’t mind me.
And there are others down here.
They grew tired of shouting
and being covered by
overgrown white lilies.
They grew tired of
being propped up.
Like art in the Moma
Gawked at.
Talked about.
Stuck in time.
But down here
with the hummingbirds,
We don’t gotta shout.
We can whisper
and they listen.
We can be still
and they see.
I like it here.
With the hummingbirds,
I can finally be
the person I deserve to be.