In The Staircase of Suzy-Grace, Suzy hears a song on the radio. Here's how it fits into the story I wrote: after listening to the words, Suzy questions her own faith and wonders if she loves God or not.
The worship band, Shane & Shane, sings the song I chose, and their songs are filled with words that spur one to consider Christ and who he is.
But then, the word copyright came to my attention. I needed to create my own songs, because those are their words and not mine.
So, I started by arranging words to write a poem. It didn’t work. After sharing at my local writers’ group, they helpfully pointed out some flaws. Why not listen to songs, they suggested, and see how words fit together in them?
Instead of focusing on the syllables and the rhyming, words surfaced alongside of music. It surprised me. And then I realized, taking the tune of an existing song and writing my own words makes song-poetry more possible.
As a child, I memorized Bible verses to the tunes of familiar songs. It kept the words in my mind, and most of them stayed after all these years. There’s something about music that helps a person learn, create, and remember.
Writing Prompt: What song comes to mind that might inspire you to write a poem or song of your own?