with legs, the mites
hitch rides inside the nostril caves
of hummingbirds. Blind, racing
toward the nectar-feeding beak,
they sense electric fields
the wings produce in waves.
Swept up by the breeze,
they hide until the darting bird’s
next stop. Then quickly
disembark.
Who wouldn’t wish
a lift from a hummingbird?
Who wouldn’t thrill, traveling
blossom to blossom?
They spend their time
slurping nectar, nibbling pollen.
And when the charged air
calls, they raise their legs
and fly, a pipsqueak picaresque,
to an unknown destination.
(Science Times, February 4, 2025)
.
Boyer Rickel
.