These melting shapes that vanish

A new poetry film inspired by the wonder of starling murmuration with images by Andrew Fusek Peters, Kathryn Anna Marshall and Bob Ford

I wrote this poem around two years ago and have been longing to build a poetry film around it. I happened upon Andrew Fusek Peters fantastic murmuration images and he kindly gave me permission to use them in a film. The cityscapes are gleaned from my own photgraphs, and the final starling portrait is by dear friend and wildlife photographer Bob Ford.

These melting shapes that vanish

What if             these displays are nott

to charm us                    but instead to

harm     us to                mesmer             eyes    

murmur  signs   manipulate

the right to flight            emphasise  

our land born state        land

                                    locked

                                             land                 

lost

The taking back of cities’ stench               

of guano riches

workers  wings unclipped

the raking    the retaking

amorphous warning

let us be 

Kathryn Anna Marshall

title inspired by 2016 Guardian interview with Alice Oswald