Hummingbirds

You'll remember the hummingbird's nest.
The eugenia flush purple fruit shadows
a nest of white pearls where
a mother's vigilant alert buzzing air
grasps my attention,

Dusk stopped silence of wing-flayed air
not to mention the thunderhead.
The still beaks in undaunted stillness
like latch-key children
waiting return.

With time, nothing changes,
past is past and ahead, Imagination.
You may remember when I called
days later, a moment of motion stirred hope.
The hover of wings, throats widened,
each awaiting the sweet nectar-filled
Ruby throat pressed deep.

Later along the moss veiled path,
a now vacant nest barely visible
holds a tale of life resting
among the eugenias.

Today under the pittosporum,
light flurried doldrums breeze my ear,
a reminder that things are
as they should be.
Three white eggs nesting.

HOWARD BILOW A Ghazal 10-17-06

Equus-caballus*

We rode through moonlit shade of trees
this Friesian* beauty, a flying steed
With flesh to loin through evening light
bareback we rode like lovers bond, a sweating steed

For hours through hills green flames
This dream of beauty, this flying stream of steed

My silver hair, a trail of light, and spirit horse in flight
to match like mortal sin to this brash night, this flight of steed

From sunset to daybreak, loins wet of glistened light
sired to ride through meadows night, this equus might of steed

At murky bank we cooled beneath a stream this night
His seaweed mane and drifting tail entwine my flesh with steed

Astride in rut through sunrise light
The sweat of poet, horse and night, this beauty of flight and speed.

Equus-caballus* A horse

Friesian* A tall Percheron gentle black war horse with very long
mane, tail, and feathered from cannon to pastern.