In the hand of the bander

 

 

Here's a poem from my 2009 chapbook   How the Hand Behaves:

In the hand of the Bander

 

 

 

Not named for the coarse open fabric of flags,

but named after sifting seeds,

after  blue dye from hairy blooms of the legume family

in India, Indigo Buntings flash,

hue of the portion of the visible spectrum from blue to violet

evoked in the human observer

by radiant energy,

by iridescence in flight.

Female Indigo Bunting

in the hand of the bander,

more subtle than your glorious mate,

deceptively brown,

outraged at your capture,

you biting the hand of the bander,

fierce as a falcon.