“Sensual Songs for Eight-Year-Olds,” a Poem by Patricia Lockwood

The story unfolded during the wheat Convention in Kansas City, Power And Light. On the first night, the narrator emerged from the hotel bathroom to find the man with sheets pulled up to his chin, reciting, "I just had the most beautiful Experience of my life." They turned to the television to witness the Doobie Brothers, evoking memories of an eleven-year-old Superfan named Paisley who was infatuated with Michael McDonald.

An electric plume of an eight-voice synthesizer was heard, bringing people back to the beginning of the world. The harmonies felt closer to home than ever - family, blood harmonies. The narrator hid from the high part, their harmonizers. They questioned what it meant to thrill to the past, to finger the zippers on '70s jumpsuits and wonder who sold Kenny Loggins his scarves.

Pretending to be a swamp creature or a shaft of circus light falling through a stained glass window - why? Art moved forward and backward in time. During the return from the boneyard beach, they discussed "Sensual Songs For Eight-Year-Olds." One person's favorite was "Old black water, keep on rollin'." Another favored "Starship: We Built This City."

The narrator shared their own sentiment: "I just had to deal with it," when they realized their soft-rock idol was gray. Paisley's bewildered father drove her to a concert, where she stood in the bleachers and screamed, "MICHAEL, I LOVE YOU!" The father looked into her eyes and said, "Thank you." She composed herself like a song.

They reflected on the allowance of leaving family harmonizers and sending a lone voice up. Riverboat rat, soaring catfish, Mississippi queen. She grooved, carried along on black water, to "What a Fool Believes."