THE AUDIENCE

by Josephine Foster

Note from the author: [The poem] is sort of an oddball, meant to be ‘sung’ by someone in the audience witnessing another performance, a sort of interior monologue. Actually, it reflects to me my own reluctance of performing a set, standing in the audience waiting to play next for instance. I thought I had a demo of it but only found the recording of when I composed it, which was sort of interesting to me suddenly instead of a more polished demo, although the last phrase wasn’t quite ironed out.

So nice to be swaying 
in the dark 
while they're playing 
my mind can float 
far-awaying
while my feet here 
are staying
how the melody rises 
and emphasizes
the sentiment I'm feeling 
how the rhythm embodies 
puts all of us at ease 
so close 
so far away 
the audience
is where I secretly 
long to stay

Josephine Foster is a Colorado composer and performer whose “music plays games with our ideas of time and space,” writes The Guardian. Her most recent recordings are in collaboration with the longrunning Nashville band, The Cherry Blossoms, on their record Stars of Tennessee (Feeding Tube Records).

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