The Day After
Starlings erupt from a distant field
like an avian disease infecting the sky
after exhausting their previous host.
The flock calligraphs my child’s name,
mocking my grief and pareidolia.
(For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Avian and a Bernie’s challenge to use the word pareidolia in a poem. Also, in the vaguest of ways, Living Poetry’s September Visual Poetry Prompt.)
Bartholomew Barker, Poet 
Incredible writing
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You’re too kind. Thank you!
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You’re so welcome!
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It seems nobody likes the starlings.
I would love to see this phenomena. I don’t think I ever have.
Nice poem. Sinister feel. I love how they erupt and mock!
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A flock of starlings is a wonderful frightening sight.
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Yeah. Never have I ever. . .
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Fantastic.
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I’m honored, Ali. Thank you.
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You done it, you only gone and done it – a proper poem containing the word….pareidolia.
Pensivepoetperson – I like starlings – look at the sheen on and colours in their plumage – they argue, squabble, descend on the garden en masse and generally ‘large it’ – I likes ’em.
As for their murmurations…well…..
Two young women were out for a late afternoon canoe ride, and fortunately one of them had remembered to bring her video camera. What they saw was a wonderful murmuration display, caught in the short video below. Enjoy.
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Thank you though I forgot all about that lovely word “murmurations”.
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As chance would have it …Mike’s bird poem in my blog for today….
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?msg=Entry%20Added
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Very nice.
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I’m rather taken with your imagery here. The end heaviness at the end of the poem is wonderfully set-up in the first stanza with ‘erupt’, ‘disease’ and ‘exhausting’. Truly stunning writing.
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Thank you, Bree. I always try to knock down whatever I set up.
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Powerful. Wow. 💜💜💜
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Thank you, Tea!
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Keep the imagery coming, Bart 💜
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That’s my plan. That’s always the plan.
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At the risk of going on and on….
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?msg=Entry%20Updated
…new words are good to find!
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A day without learning a new word is like a night without stars. (My adaptation of an old Klingon proverb.)
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You old Trekkie you! Doesn’t sound very Klingon though – more likely to be ‘ A day without a battle is a day wasted.’
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The original is “Hov ghajbe’bogh ram rur pegh ghajbe’bogh jaj” which roughly translates to “a day without secrets is like a night without stars”.
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I only speak Klingon when I have a cold…….’Accccchhhhh-ttttttaaaaarrrrr’.
Ewok most of the time – Klingon when I have a cold.
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