Smoke filled lungs empty chronic symphonies,
I relish in the taste
of the current trapping my skin,
match the jaded expression of the pianist
played one gig too high.
Left foot fused to the floor with
a concoction of warm liquor,
sweat, and melted keys.
And sweet deceit fills our ears.
Knees start to buckle,
my head pounds in sync with the bass,
but sticky fingers keep me
glued to you.
We scream aloud now,
a crescendo of dark caramel drum beats and
guitar strings made of crusted sugar;
shards piercing the air we breathe.
Speakers silenced without warning,
Ears ringing,
mouthing words to strangers,
grins fading,
with heat escaping
out metal doors.
One aspect of life I’ve come to miss over the past year is attending live concerts. In this poem I’ve attempted to capture the joy of seeing one of your favorite artists in person, whether in a large stadium or a small concert hall. I chose a poem because I believe poetry has the power to communicate feelings through language that’s hard to accomplish in prose. I tried to create a sort of rhythm although the poem is in free verse, which reflects a musical pattern. It was difficult for me to fully convey the sense of joy and freedom which comes with live music, as well as the feeling of loss I usually experience when a concert ends. In a short span of time, we can experience so many different emotions, so I chose to keep the poem in short, compact stanzas to try and emphasis the fleeting moments of a concert.
In writing this poem, I thought about the musical component of Colorstruck, and how we as readers had to envision music playing throughout the dances without it having been given to us on the page. The language of the play reflects this musicality without directly incorporating music through its descriptions of the dance scenes, so I attempted to use this in my poem, a poem about music and dance which doesn’t explicitly give any audible music to the reader.
For my poem, I didn’t choose a specific concert, but instead I focused on the feelings which have been present in each of my experiences, from Childish Gambino to Mumford & Sons. The feeling of being fully present and aware of the music, and the feeling that time stops for a moment of pure joy.