Piece Comment

Review of Lapsarian Hummingbirds


Leave it to a poet to send me to the dictionary to look up a word like "lapsarian" which I will be hard-pressed to use in conversation. But that can be one of the joys of poetry. The poet and his subject are first introduced in an amusing, folksy style - pity the poor hummingbird pitted against the goundhog's media monopoly. And then the poet introduces the background of the poem - a backyard story of mythic proportions. The poem itself, simply read as often best suits poetry, reflects a world of conflict and greed. Who knew hummingbirds were so human? I only wish their unique sound could've been captured to end the piece instead of the cliche, or a best dated, musical choice.