How do you connect? What do you relate to?
The poems within this anthology, Obsessed by Crows, speak of all kinds of relationships; good, bad, fulfilling or sad. They express how we react to one another; mother, brother, lover, friend or foe - whether you hug trees or watch crows watching you; there are poems here for everyone. Dive in and see what catches your imagination.
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The title of this anthology was born in the early days of Covid (2020). During our Covid walks in Brockworth, Gloucester, Josephine (Lay) and I, became aware of the Crows in our community. There was the dominant pair that ruled the pecking order, and their extended family, who nested in a large tree on a nearby roundabout. There was the young Crow, with a damaged wing that seemed to walk and hop everywhere, the first time we came across it, it was walking around the roundabout, not many cars on the road at that time. It would stop and look at you, sizing you up, deciding you weren't a threat. Crows remember faces, and can pass details on to other crows, whether this face is friendly or not.
So, it's fair to say that we became obsessed by crows, in our own ways, we got to know them, and they us.
In January of 2020, Josephine had begun running the Gloucestershire Poetry Society (GPS), supported by myself and Jason Conway. In March, between us, we set up one of the first online and ongoing via Zoom, Poetry Event, 'Crafty Crows'. See the connection!
Crafty Crows after a couple of months settled into the first Wednesday of the Month, and is still running, currently, under the auspices of Jason Conway, who also now runs the GPS.
Obsessed by Crows, sat on the shelf at Black Eyes, slowly gathering dust, until it was decided to use it as the title of this anthology. The theme is loosely based around relationships, in celebration of mine and Josephine's relationship and love of Crows.
Peter Lay
Black Eyes Publishing UK