Prince’s Self-Portrait as Memory, poem by Candace Butler (Celebrity Free Verse Poetry Series)

PRINCE’S SELF-PORTRAIT AS MEMORY
by Candace Butler

Never say the words “they’re gone,”
and they’ll come back.

I know you as a different person now:
an ex-lover leaving her reflection
in the mirror after she’s gone…

I’d never seen that before.

Sometimes it’s a curse,
but it’s also a blessing.

You have to remember:
these colors have soulmates
and once you get them all together,
the painting is complete.

I don’t believe in singles
now.

Come to me.

I’m trying to get back to the old days.
I have time.
I have nothing but time.

SOURCE:  Spike Lee interview with Prince (then known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince) in Interview Magazine (May 1997).

IMAGE: “Prince,” watercolor by Design Turnpike. Prints available at fineartamerica.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Candace Butler is a writer, musician, and artist residing in her hometown of Sugar Grove, Virginia — a small town in the mountains of Appalachia. She is an MFA candidate in the Creative Writing Program at Antioch University of Los Angeles (AULA). Find more of her work at candacebutler.com.