Kathryn Anna Marshall

BArn owl

The first time I see a barn owl is after the first time

I ask a nurse for help to cool you, after the first time

I roll one, two towels tight as I can, to support, to comfort

the uncomfortable.

The first time I see a barn owl is after the first time

I see you point two fingers to your own eyes, to the yelping man

in the opposite bed as though you’re in Where Eagles Dare

the first time I hear you whisper they’re trying to kill me.

after the first time I hear you talk of

angels swords roses

The first time I see a barn owl is after

the first time you beckon for my hand

hold it tight between thumb and forefinger

say my name that’s a nice name, the first time

I understand the clock is my enemy.

The first time I see a barn owl

it swoops to the verge of Mytton Oak Road

swoops up vanishes

into December’s dawn

Kathryn Anna Marshall is a poet based in Coalbrookdale. She is inspired by folklore and landscape and uses these to explore issues around grief, body image and inequality. Kathryn has M.E. and Bipolar II which influence the themes in her work.  She has work published in anthologies and journals such as Mslexia, Popshot Quarterly, Lighthouse Journal, Spelt Magazine and The Dawntreader. Her pamphlet The daughter of a man who loved birds was shortlisted in Alchemy Spoon Pamphlet competition and highly commended in the 2024 Geoff Stevens Memorial Prize. She works as a copywriter and writes poetry for private commissions.

Kathryn wrote this comment about her poem:

All creatures share the same energy – in their urge to live. I suppose poetry tries to find symbols for “consciousness” of that.