Foundwaves’ new Song Muse Series explores how music can inspire and influence creation in other mediums. We invite writers and artists to submit original unpublished fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction pieces, graphic narratives, and artwork inspired by songs featured on Foundwaves. For our first installment of Song Muse, we are excited to premiere a poem by Jeremy Francis Morris that was inspired by the Magic Man songs "Polygon" and "Monster".
Shape (with a line from Magic Man)
by Jeremy Francis Morris
I remember folding a letter to fit
in my shirt pocket and passing
it to her on a bench while waiting
for the train to take us away into the city—
I watched strangers reading books
and I remember how she slid the letter
back into my pocket—I felt it, but never
read the letter then; I just looked and said,
If I could be you.
We walked the city that evening and she
stopped where a man sold fruit—
she picked out an orange and rolled
it in her palms; I gave the man change
and she placed it in her dress pocket
and as we left I remember him saying,
If I could be you.
When we reached the airport we sat
on another bench—we were always waiting
for something and we watched strangers
flying away—I remember how she folded
her life into shapes and packed them
into a small bag and how she smiled
while taking a picture of me
before walking through the gate.
I walked the city back to the train
and passed the man at the fruit stand
and I imagined her peeling the orange—
I found a bench, waited until I
caught the train; I watched strangers
reading and when I looked back
you were gone—I pulled the note
from my shirt pocket and it said,
If I could be you.