William Heath

The Starlings of Rome

At setting sun hundreds of thousands
swoop and swarm over the Vatican
and other vital sites of the city.
They mass together in tight, ever-
changing formations, now compact,
now dispersed, rising and falling 
until the last twilight before they
perch to do desecrating damage.

Since they feast by day on olive trees
viscous droppings spread and stick
to all surfaces, painting a vast canvas
of black and white Jackson Pollock
might envy. Romans agree their
sunset murmurations in the sky
are haunting, but would prefer
to do without scraping up the mess.

Starlings from all parts of Europe
have been congregating in Rome
for more than a century. They feed
in the farmlands and by some telepathic 
mystery agree to settle in the city 
before dark. Their swirling designs
are synchronized as if a maestro
conducted their airborne symphony. 

Why do they stir up such a dense 
brew in the sky?  It would seem 
for protection. Their main enemy 
are falcons who attack swiftly 
with deadly force, but when 
together in constant movement
a falcon can’t lock in one target.
	
Is there a solution? Workers in
white protective smocks deploy
to vulnerable places with bullhorns
that screech out the calls of starlings
in distress. This eerie noise echoes
off nearby buildings and compels
the birds to seek better places to roost,
take their spattering to the suburbs.

William Heath has published three poetry books: The Walking Man, Steel Valley Elegy, and Going Places; two chapbooks: Night Moves in Ohio and Leaving Seville; three novels: The Children Bob Moses Led (winner of the Hackney Award), Devil Dancer, and Blacksnake’s Path; a work of history, William Wells and the Struggle for the Old Northwest (winner of two Spur Awards and the Oliver Hazard Perry Award); and a collection of interviews, Conversations with Robert Stone. He also has a fourth poetry book, Alms for Oblivion, and a third chapbook, Inventing the Americas, coming out later this year.  He lives in Annapolis.  www.williamheathbooks.com