"Hauntingly Beautiful"

Art-Inspired Art & the Beauty of Collaboration

Yesterday I got a notification that I was tagged in a video. The video was made by a singer-songwriter from Wales named Beth Morgan. It turns out she had found my poem, “kitchen surgery,” online. This is a poem that was included in my debut book. If you are unfamiliar, the piece is as follows:

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kitchen surgery

last night my lover laid me out on the kitchen table
and with the sharpest knife we own, cut me open

she peeled back my flesh, broke the lock on my ribs,
and set free from their cage the songbirds trapped inside

with a bicycle pump, she put air in my lungs
and then untied the knot in my stomach

before stitching me up, she took a breath,
then slowly worked her way towards the beating in my chest

and like it was made completely of wet cement,
she left her handprints on the inside of my heart

so I’ll forever feel the grip that she has on me

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Beth Morgan said she was so inspired by the opening line that she immediately ran to her piano. What she ended up writing is stunning. She used my opening line as a springboard and then took the narrative in her own, unique direction. Plus, her voice is incredible too. One person who commented on the post summed up the whole song and performance perfectly: “hauntingly beautiful.”

I reached out to her and we chatted and she mentioned that she’s always careful when taking direct inspiration from others because people can feel very protective of their work. She was extra worried with this too because, as she put it, “I found your poem to be a happy one but then I made it super depressing.” Little did she know, sad music is my favorite.

All-in-all it was a really cool experience and a nice reminder that as much as the internet can suck, it can also be amazing.

And who knows, maybe a more extensive, more legitimate collaboration with Beth will soon be in the works…fingers crossed. We’ll see.

Anyway, you can watch the video here!

And make sure to follow Beth on Spotify, Apple Music, and socials! She’s awesome.

Talk soon,

AD