Hummingbird Acetylene
The turquoise flame of a hummingbird’s head
is a blazing torch of acetylene
burning, as when my father put a welding tip to steel
joining parts of his world with the bluegreen flame
he held between
this hummingbird burns in afternoon light
at the mouth of a flower in god’s machine
jabbing her tip at a perfect hour
joining her flame to mine
in a darting iridescent sheen
.
by Jim Culleny
5/30/14