The first section is characterized by a rapid yet smoothly flowing rhythm which makes the reader feel as if he were being absorbed into the hummingbird’s life of perpetual mania to find food, energy, in order to survive. The smoothly flowing rhythm, which in and of itself connotes energy, vigor and life, is caused by the lightness and the suggestiveness of the words used in this first section. For example, the words “their wings a soft fury of iridescence” not only bounce off one another creating a swift, soft and light sound, but they also have an immense descriptive power, thus creating imagery. The smoothly flowing rhythm is also caused by the dominance of “s” and “w” sounds, (“in their sleep dreaming of nectar-sweet funnels they sipped… they swiveled at succulent… sunset” lines 1-4 “whispering wheels inside wheels” line 10) an alternation between monosyllabic and multi-syllabic words, an accumulation of adjectives (“but delicate, probing, excitable” line 5) and an accumulation of facts that create a circular structure; “But to refuel they must eat, and to eat, they must hover” thus losing energy, a vicious and inescapable cycle in which the hummingbird is trapped. Although there is a caesura in this first section, (line 4) it does not create a break in the rhythm because it allows the reader to pause in order to catch his breath and proceed with the reading of accumulating smoothly flowing, musical words. Through the power of suggestion, the words chosen by the poet also contribute to the overall them of life that seems to exude from this first section (“delicate, probing, excitable” line 5 “hearts beating” line 7 “hovering hard” line 11 “speed, swilling energy” line 12).
The second section is characterized by a broken rhythm, which hinders the reader from reading the passage as rapidly and as effortlessly as the first section. The broken rhythm, causing the pace to slow down, in and of itself connotes deterioration, exhaustion and death. The broken rhythm is caused by the use of long, multi-syllabic words intersected by harsh sounding words such as “rests” (line 17) “halved” “rugged” (line 18) and “trembling” (line 26). The long sounds are also created by the use of alliteration, “while lilies lather sweetly” (line 16) “words like wistful and wan” (line 20). The words chosen by the poet in this second section contribute to the overall them of disintegration followed by death that seem to exude from this second section (“rests near collapse” line 17, “pulse halved, rugged breath shallow” line 18, “wistful and wan” - melancholy and paleness- “pales into a senseless twilight” line 23, “trembling” line 26).
There are also many aberrations used in this second section, which break the flow of the poem by deflecting the poem’s main thrust thus creating a rupture. The lines “& bright as Cassiopeia” “the word once drug, anthem, bright lagoon” and “Morse Codes for rapture” seem to be aberrations. These aberrations draw the reader’s attention towards a particular word or phrase, the reader is thus obliged to become aware of it and to reflect upon its presence in the poem. For example, upon first glance, the word “Morse Codes” may seem like a total random and eccentric word that has nothing to do with the poem’s theme. However, after some contemplation, the reader realizes that the word Morse Codes implies sharp, ruptured sounds and thus contributes to the poem’s heart beat motif.
The poem’s entire meaning seems to be contained in the second to last line “nor break the hard promise life always keeps.” This hard promise life always keeps is death. Death thus becomes the only certainty one has in life. This poem can therefore be interpreted as a questioning of the meanings or implications of certainty, conviction, or absolute Truth.
No warm blooded animal uses so much energy for its size as the hummingbird, however, this puts them in great peril because at the end of the day, exhausted and tired, they sometimes do not have enough energy to last the night, or the next morning, to “hoist /themselves/ from /their/ well of dreams.” Although, the hummingbird is a small and extremely delicate animal, it consumes life with great zeal, vigor and enthusiasm. The poem’s meaning may therefore also be about the desire to live, to survive, a desire common to all animals, despite life’s fragility.
A totally different approach can also be taken when interpreting this poem. One interpretation of this poem could also be that it is about the detrimental consequence of alcohol abuse or drug addiction. Although it may seem like a far fetched idea, upon analysis of the vocabulary used in this poem, (“nectar-sweet” “succulent” “sunset” “hearts beating” “iridiscence” “refuel” “pulse halved” “rugged breath shallow” “drug” “anthem” “bright lagoon” “rapture” “pales” “senseless twilight” well of dreams” wet fuschia” “die” “sleep”) the reader can only conclude that too many of these words suggest or connote a state of euphoria or ecstasy and the description of a paradisiacal place, followed by a collapse or disintegration, both being the consequences of alcohol abuse or drug addiction. These words can therefore not go unnoticed. The poem does have a sort of trancelike or illusory tone to it, thus creating an oneiric atmosphere, which is very much how an alcoholic or drug addict feels upon abuse of the substance. The word drug is implicitly used on line 21, thus explicitly making a parallel between this poem and the theme of poisonous or toxic substances. The verses “But to refuel they must eat, and to eat they must hover, burning more air…” (lines 13 and 14) connote the vicious, inescapable cycle into which an alcoholic or drug addict is trapped.
