The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Brilliant red throat
menacing long beak
drives away
iridescent green backed hummingbirds
with mundane
gray or beige throats.
Sharp extended beak
challenges hummingbird moth.
Moth ignores beak
sips nectar from pink and red blossoms.
Dejected red throat
retreats, perches and watches.

Bitter tasting provides
an advantage in nature.

About the Writer


Elizabeth Thoms Charles

Elizabeth is a member of SCBWI. She loves gardening, reading, writing, and walking in nature which occasionally inspires poetry. She spent part of her childhood in Arizona and currently lives in Colorado. She earned a BA in Spanish and an MLS in library science. A former public librarian, she writes poems, picture books, and mysteries.