The CLOD and the PEBBLE
Hummingbird Featured Poem.
The CLOD and the PEBBLE. By William Blake. A dialogue about love between two unusual characters. Curated by Lynda Bernard.
Hummingbird Weekly Quote. 2025-2026 Edition.
In Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
A quote about leadership from MLK, circa 1956. Indeed, we are in the same boat now. Curated by Sandra Novick.
Book Shorts. Reviews in a Nutshell.
The Beginner’s Goodbye.
Anne Tyler explores love, life, family with remarkable accuracy and gentle humor. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a Beginner’s Guide to… EVERYTHING? Insightful and beautifully written. Vintage Anne Tyler. Review by Sandra Novick.
Book Shorts. Reviews in a Nutshell.
The Drowned.
The Drowned, by Booker Prize Winning author John Banville, is a mystery/thriller that will hold you until the last page. Set in the 1950s in a rural Irish town, and in Dublin, the investigation into a drowning and potential murder turns out to be much more than that. Suffice it to say, “It’s complicated.” Review by Barry Novick. Recommended!
Mornings at Blackwater Pond
Hummingbird’s Featured Poem for the New Year.
Mornings at Blackwater Pond. A poem by Mary Oliver that encourages us to follow our passions, to live life, and to become the person we choose to be. A message full of hope and encouragement for us all to be and do more.
First Snow.
First Snow by Mary Oliver.
Today, we were drawn to our poetry selection, Mary Oliver’s First Snow, for all the obvious reasons! Oliver tells us once more that the beauty and “awesomeness” of nature is the essence, and quite possibly the answer to, well… everything. Our cue to tune in, and out, respectively. Must read!
Broken, Unbroken
Hummingbird’s Featured Poem.
Broken, Unbroken by Mary Oliver. Loneliness, broken people, broken hearts. Love can heal all that. This a beautiful poem full of hope. Perfect to read as we approach a new year. Curated by Lynda Bernard.
One Boy Told Me
Hummingbird Featured Poem.
One Boy Told Me. A “free verse” collection of a child’s quotes that build stanzas that communicate joy, curiosity, and the attempt to “make sense of things.” Naomi Shihab Nye is in command with this charming poem.
“Hope” is the Thing with Feathers
Hope is “perched in our soul—”
Emily Dickinson deftly uses a bird as a metaphor for “Hope.” Click through for a beautiful and classic poem.
The Second Coming
The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats.
“The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;…”
Written in 1919, was this foreboding? A moving, haunting poem. It will stay with you.
The News. Just Thinking Out Loud…
Just Thinking Out Loud…
Today, we are agreeing with Josh Hawley. We cannot abandon SNAP recipients. Time is running out.
When You Are Old
When You Are Old
A poem by William Butler Yeats about true love, love of that which is within versus love of superficial beauty. In later years, as beauty fades, will one regret overlooking the person that loves her “soul?” Curated by Lynda Bernard.

