for michael

listen:
one day when you were three,
in the time of living in the mountains
in the time of waterfalls and rainbows
hummingbird was lost—
he was trapped inside a window.
fallen to the corner of the sill
his body heaving

i scooped him up with my mommy hands—
the hands you gave me to hold you when you cry
and you gently caressed his feathers
shimmering iridescent in the late afternoon light
outside, under a trembling aspen
i raised my arms, opened my hands
and hummingbird flew toward the sun

i want to tell you this story
so you know that the tiniest moments
hold the clearest blessings
i want you to know
i have learned to let go