it’s an obscure
ornithological fact
the lifespan of a
common hummingbird
is 20 to 25 years
and i know hummingbirds
i feed them
equal portions water and sugar
hung in a red-tinted mason jar
my cat likes to eat them
but they’re hard to catch
she stalks them for hours
then settles for doves and lizards
there’s more lizards
than anything else around here
many with half a tail
and all those poor doves missing a foot
it’s very sad
there are millions of hummingbirds
in costa rica
i’m telling you,
i was there in ’04 and saw them all
they have hummingbird-themed
grocery stores
feather outlets
knockoff sneakers
hosiery, breath mints
two hummingbird
museums
there’s so many the locals go
on hummingbird hunts
they scoop them out of the sky
with big nets
then grind them into
gourmet cat foods
cat obesity is
a big issue
everyone in costa rica knows about
hummingbirds
and death
it’s a noteworthy numerological fact
twenty to twenty five years
i’m reminded of your
collection of adjectives
your legacy scoured from books
magazines and newspapers
your belief that there are no “facts”
and i want to tell you again
twelve years after the fact of your death
that your encyclopedia is
wrong about hummingbirds
to share your delight again
when i add new adjectives
to your collection
to say to you that it’s
an elementary jurisdictional fact
a regrettable rapid-fire fact
a primordial paleontological fact
that hummingbirds live
twenty to twenty-five years
~
