Copyright
Not the song. Not the band. Just a poem that got there first.
This short contemporary poem, “Copyright,” explores photography, observation, artistic ownership, and unintended fame. A chance encounter with a woman posing among the rubbish becomes a playful reflection on who gets to capture a moment—and what happens when a poem unexpectedly finds new life through a song created years later.
As I meandered the condo,
about to make a cup of coffee,
I noticed a couple
not from ’round here.
Amused, I lifted the camera,
blew off the dust, turned it on,
and zoomed in. Oblivious,
the photographer shot her
with his stiff long lens,
and I shot over his bald head:
she posed just for me
amongst the garbage.
She glanced,
smiled, and said
not a word.
Why “The Candid Verse”?
Sometimes, the internet stumbles into poetry. This little poem found new readers thanks to a song it never meant to meet.
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