After dinner in the woods, the wanderers
Returned to the bosom of moss and duff,
The hosts brought out a surprise rather
Than a dessert: a frozen hummingbird,
Rufous, on a plate. He had crashed
Into plate glass during a territorial, aerial
Contest and died with his famous tongue,
Perfect for nectar, still protruding
From his calligraphic beak, a thin black flag.
Body and daughter were encouraged
To examine the cliched iridescence
Of the scale-like, sequin-bright feathers,
Using flashlight and magnifying glasses
Of various intensities. And what did we see?
Daughter most noticed the black bead
Of an eye; body most tried to follow
The way a shimmer would start on one side
And then trail across the broken back.
Then it was time to leave, to descend
The highway ribbon like a zip line
Into Silverton, out of Silverton, into
New Denver. An old, decommissioned
Forest service building broken up into
Four flats awaited. The lake, the lake shone
Armored scales and silver sequins, dark.
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