At the edge of my lanai
a hummingbird dazzles
over the stamen
of a gardenia bloom
An alert myna bird from nowhere
plucks it midair
with a moist “schlupp!”
into the untouched breeze,
sweeps smartly down
the slope to an opening
in green groundcover,
drops the catch on a bare spot
between three others of its kind
that hop closer, twitch
their heads and beaks,
feast upon the delicate specter
Watching from my lawn chair
I can’t seem to bring
back the sight
of the hummingbird
hovering there…
Gone too, the question
I had