Autumn Hummingbird
by Kenneth Probo
I’m a hummingbird when the last lobelia has withered, the red faded, each stalk a dead brown, the feeder taken indoors.
Kenneth Pobo (he/him) has a new book out called Raylene And Skip (Wolfson Press). His work has appeared in North Dakota Quarterly, Nimrod, Mudfish, Amsterdam Review, and elsewhere. He’s retired and enjoys the garden.
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What surprising, fascinating stuff can you tell us about the origin, drafting, and/or final version of “Autumn Hummingbird”? “Autumn Hummingbird” came from the many times my husband and I sit on the porch and enjoy the birds. Hummingbirds are a particular favorite. It is a little sad as the fall presses on as they fly away and the flowers they went to die. Originally the poem was a tanka, but it felt stilted in the 5-7-5-7-7 format, so I recast it as a short prose poem. That feels much more natural.
Check out the write-up of the journal in The Writer.
Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.
Matter Press is now offering private flash fiction workshops and critiques of flash fiction collections here.
Submissions
Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again September 15, 2025. Submit here.
Upcoming
03/23 • Kenneth Pobo
03/30 • Roberta Allen
04/06 • Avril Shakira Villar
04/13 • TBD
04/20 • TBD
04/27 • TBD
05/04 • TBD
05/11 • TBD
05/18 • TBD
05/25 • TBD
06/01 • TBD
06/08 • TBD
06/15 • TBD
06/22 • TBD
06/29 • TBD
07/06 • TBD
07/13 • TBD
07/20 • TBD
07/27 • TBD
08/03 • TBD
08/10 • TBD
08/17 • TBD
08/24 • TBD
08/31 • TBD
09/07 • TBD
09/14 • TBD
09/21 • TBD