Sky Dancer

http://www.visitsomerset.co.uk/site/explore-somerset/countryside/starling-murmurations

Sky dancer

Like falling leaves from a wind blown tree,
They twist,
turn,
fall,
then tumble free.
Screeching through a sky -
like scythes in flight
or jets that soar in an aerial fight.
All meet up, then
flutter
down,
like ribbons that
drift
from a maypole crown.
Tornadoes of feathers,
spin
and
swirl
making fantasy shapes as they all unfurl.

A whisp of smoke
a rush of noise,

turning as one with grace and poise.
The rustling of a million wings
Nature’s ballet - an awesome thing.
Then a
sudden
drop
and silence reigns
starlings roost in the reed beds again.

Diana Leighton May 2011