Crow
a poem by Rachel Carney in response to ‘Mother and Child Flight’ by Karin Mear
I follow my crow up the road
hopping aside to let the people pass
wait! wait for me! she flits
away turns back flies off again
slips upward into sky twisting her
wings to the wind relishing the
rush of air on feathers air on
slender opportunity on skin
always a gap between us
Reflections on the writing process
“This poem took some time to germinate, beginning with just a few words jotted down in my notebook, inspired by Karin’s title: mother, child, follow her, follow her, keep on following. But I didn’t know where to go from there, until I looked out of the window, where I could see families making their way up the road outside, with their prams, scooters and bikes. Then the first line ‘I follow my crow up the road’ came to me, and I wrote out a kind of narrative, imagining myself as a young crow, trying to keep up with its mother, but I wasn’t quite sure where I was going with it. During the process of typing up the first draft, it occurred to me that the crow was a metaphor for freedom, and the poem transformed into a metaphorical flight of imagined escape during the lockdown.“
You can explore Karin Mear’s online exhibition, ‘Coal Tips and Patty Tins’, here.
About the Virtual Poet in Residence
This poem is part of a series written during the Coronavirus pandemic, in response to online exhibitions, and blog post research undertaken by artists and volunteers in partnership with Cynon Valley Museum. You can read more of Rachel Carney’s work during this residency over on the Poet in Residence page. Rachel is a poet, book blogger and PhD student, and she’s also spent several years working in museums. Her PhD research explores the benefits of using creative writing in art museums, and she’s particularly interested in examining the writing process. You can find out more about her work and PhD on her blog.
The Cynon Valley Museum Trust, like so many others during this pandemic, have suffered a loss of income. We are working hard behind the scenes to fundraise as well as provide options to explore the Cynon valley’s heritage, art, and culture, through projects such as this Residency. If you enjoyed this and would like to support us more, please consider making a donation. You can do so by following this link.