Barbara Crooker

Barbara Crooker (1945- ) is the author of eight books of poetry, including Les Fauves and The Book of Kells. Her first book, Radiance, won the 2005 Word Press First Book Award.

Murmuration

Cold morning. November, taking a walk,

when up ahead, suddenly, the trees unleave,

and thousands of starlings lift off, an immense

river of noise; they braid and unbraid themselves

over my head, the gray silk sky embroidered

with black kisses, the whoosh of their wings,

their chattering clatter, patterns broken/formed/

reformed, a scarf of ragged ribbons. Dumb-

struck, mouth open, I say holy and I say moley,

And then, they’re gone.

— Barbara Crooker