GUEST FEATURE: Free Ride, a poem by Carissa Fawn

Poet Carissa Fawn shares a favorite piece she was reminded of after reading an article about the song Fast Car, then allows us a peek behind the scenes by answering a few questions.

• WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND THIS PIECE?

The poem came from your car! We'd all been hanging out and having a really chill and vibey summer night. I couldn't find an Uber out in the sticks that late, so we piled into your car and you drove me home. I was sitting in the back seat staring out the open window at a big fat white moon, and Fast Car was playing on the stereo. I was thinking about someone I had a massive crush on, someone I was thinking about all the time because crushes suck like that. So it's a love poem-- about a guy I barely remember and a moment I never forgot.

• WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION IN YOUR DAILY LIFE?

I love transitional moments. Either between people or even within ourselves-- those internal tipping points, those little markers of time, like the moment just before something is said, or the moment right after, and the world hasn't moved yet to catch up with it. That space where the inevitability of change is hanging in the air, and the thing that is about to happen or has just happened still hasn't fully happened yet. I think about how small mundane things have lasting impact, sometimes in ways we didn't anticipate and don't really notice until later. 

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING/WATCHING/LISTENING TO?

Listening to two albums: Diesel Forever by Full Flower Moon Band, and Musique Mecanique by The Carla Bley Band. Also the 13 episode BBC podcast Witch. It's a fantastic exploration not just of witches and what it means to be a witch, but feminism and the female experience in general from the 16th century to present. I'm always picking at a handful of books, but I'm not too deep into anything at the moment. I haven't watched much lately, either, but I've been wanting to dive into the Roald Dahl/Wes Anderson short films.