Charlie McCormick
A Fond Farewell For a Friend: October 21st, 2003
“Elliott Smith died before his album,
From a Basement on the Hill, 2004,
had finished production.”
-A Poet
Die young, stay young, Elliott.
Mourn the grave with the same half smile
that sang torture, release, grin
mellifluous forever, solidified in death,
hazy in memory, angles soften,
perfection possible.
Die young, stay young, Elliott.
No wrinkled senility,
falling, never compromise
when it comes to creativity
versus profitability. In death
stay beautiful, fresh, crisp,
like produce you never have to bury
or bring flowers to every other Saturday.
Die young, stay young, Elliott.
Stab wounds to the chest, suicide,
drugs, amphetamines, opiates, anxiolytics,
terrified girlfriend locked in the bathroom,
safe from The Poet at your creative pinnacle,
armed, high, fearless.
Die young, stay young, Elliot.
Be your greatest moment
until cultural erasure
over the next few decades.
About the writer:
Charlie McCormick is a Sacramento, California, native and began studying English in 2013 at Cosumnes River College. They have a B.A. in Child Development from CSU Chico and are currently a graduate student at CSU Sacramento working towards an M.A. in English.
Image: The Bright Little House by Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso (1887-1918). no medium specified. No size specified. 1915-1916. Public domain.
