Drift (For two NATO soldiers who drowned in an attempt to recover supplies from a river in the province of Badghis, Western Afghanistan, November, 2009)

Earlier this year I placed some kind of 'open call' to invite writers to write a poem inspired by sounds & images I provided. Weeks after that project I received an e-mail;
"I have some poems for you - if you're still looking for some "
The mail came from Paul Perry.

I was interested and we started mailing back and forth. Paul send me some of his poems.

"Dark, dramatic ... bold and striking ... the pitch-black Jacobean tone of Perry's poetic shines with clarity and intensity." (Poetry Ireland Review) and I agree (based on what I read)

There was one I was immediately struck by;

For two NATO soldiers who drowned in an attempt to recover supplies from a river in the province of Badghis, Western Afghanistan, November, 2009.
two boys lie
head down
in water 

turning
like the hands
of a dial 

they make up
the body
of a cold clock 

their winter numbers
frozen
no alarm-bell 

rings out
no shock is captured
in the atmosphere 

nor is it known
how suddenly
they fell 

into the water’s gasp
or how quickly
they succumbed 

to the icy
verisimilitude
their pale still

faces drawn
towards the bottom
their eyes starless

and threadbare
emerging
from the corner 

of one mouth
a delicate bead of air
from the other 

nothing – 

at dawn
I fill
their pockets 

then rinse
their hands
with light

I asked Paul to do a reading and went on preparing sounds and images.
For this one I created the track 'Drift' 

The main images came not from me but I used footage from the site http://beachfrontprod.blogspot.be/ Crisp and clean footage. Idyllic images with water, birds and logs.
Movement and juxtaposition I found with Cullen McHale. This footage of young men, alive, in their prime and having fun with searching kicks in innocent danger forms a perfect contrast with the content of the poem. Yet they tell a story of what was, or could have been.
I only had to add a layer of 'light' and some treated photographs to add to the general atmosphere of the video.

 Anyway, for your eyes and ears...
 

Words & voice: Paul Perry

Concept, camera, editing & music: Swoon
Footage: Cullen McHale & Beachfront B-Roll