Joe Welch
My Hummingbird
The hygienist chastises me for
Letting my teeth/gums go.
My mother was dying! I say.
She's not interested.
She sees my mouth, and can't hear it.
All the world is a mouth, and nothing more,
At least during the work day.
Hummingbird handlers probably
See nothing out there but hummingbirds.
Not caring that your
Mother slowed, unable to feed
Unable to move her wings
Finally asking only to lay down,
To let her beating feathers rest.
Bio
Joe Welch's writing is influenced by Buddhist principles. He's an intellectual property lawyer in Chicago who only recently began submitting his poetry again, after being published by the Harvard Advocate and padran aram while in his 20s. He taught IP law at Northwestern's law school for more than 20 years, and co-authored a treatise and a popular textbook. These days he is writing poetry full-time, and has been published on Academy of the Heart and Mind.