A Murder of Crows
Luke Leftwich
Hodgepodge night — a murder of crows, their
beaded eyes painted with this supernova of pigment —
graffiti, a teetering oil spill atop the canvas clouds,
soaking in the delirium.
We will yarn & laugh & sing
of crochet-hook fairy tales until
the crows murmur,
“No, we cannot come stay,
we are sorry, we are too heavy,
our embers have gone dark,”
until we cut the crows from the light &
dunk them in the watercolor
concussion, the moon shining on a
new murder-bird of paradise &
its feathers, its eyes ablaze.
We won’t apologize for this:
a life sketched in silhouettes &
we have decided we won’t
color within the lines, we
will knit together breadcrumbs &
teach the crows
exactly how to explode like we do.
“"A Murder of Crows" embodies the challenge inherent in rewriting the idea of joy in our lives, which is a process that involves rebellion and, in the case of this narrative, murder. The "supernova of pigment" in the poem is a thundering force that allows the symbolic crows in the work to come to the light, thereby experiencing a rebirth. The poem acknowledges that achieving joy often requires sacrifice, and that we should take those risks.”
— Luke Leftwich
Luke Leftwich
Luke Leftwich
Luke Leftwich (he/him) is a queer writer, researcher, and snack food concept from Cookeville, Tennessee. He attends the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where he is a junior and has majors in biochemistry, creative writing and other forms of witchcraft. His poems have appeared in The Phoenix and The Aster, and this is his first publication outside of Tennessee. When he isn't writing, Luke enjoys teaching public health topics, playing Bananagrams, and spending time with his lovely friends.
Instagram: @lml_esquire