Attacked By A Hummingbird Moth Poem by Kim Barney

A few weeks ago
I'd have thought it absurd
to see a moth acting
like a hummingbird!

And then one morning
I was weeding my flowers
and one appeared there.

My first impression
was 'Here is a hummingbird! '
but that was not true.

It hovered among
the flowers just like one,
feeding on nectar.

Her long proboscis
could be coiled or extended;
a hummingbird's can't.

I, fascinated,
filmed her for two full minutes
using the video feature
of my cell phone.

Later, on Google,
I learned that they're very rare
so I was glad
to have seen one.

Google did not say
that hummingbird moths
would attack people.

A few days later
I was using hedge clippers
in front of my house.

Suddenly my face
was struck by some small missile!
It bounced off and then

it struck me again,
this time hitting my glasses.
Trying to blind me?

I swatted at it,
and it flew swiftly away,
leaving me quite stunned.

Some days after that,
I was watering those same
hedges, and out of them

flew what could have been
that same small hummingbird moth!
Aha! She lived there!

Now I understand fully,
and I'm sure you have guessed,
we really can't blame her;
she was only defending her nest!