#300 Backstory of the Poem: Patricia Carragon’s “At Last”

#300 Backstory of the Poem:  Patricia Carragon’s “At Last”

Patricia Carragon. Credit and Copyright by Patricia Carragon

Can you go through the step-by-step process of writing this poem from the moment the idea was first conceived in your brain until final form? Since 2018, I’ve been writing from music prompts, especially from jazz. The music and lyrics direct my imagination to create stories. It’s like watching a movie scene in my head before the words hit the computer screen.

Patricia Carragon. Copyright by Patricia Carragon

Where were you when you started to actually write the poem?  And please describe the place in great detail. I tend to do my writing at night, usually in the living room at the table or on the sofa. This poem happened on my sofa. I get an intuitive urge to click on YouTube and listen to music.

Left: Patricia Carragon with living room table in the background.
Right: Patricia Carragon’s sofa in her living room.
Both photos credit and copyright by Patricia Carragon

What month and year did you start writing this poem? I wrote “At Last” back in March 2019. I don’t recall what day, but it took about a day or two to write. However, I did tweak it slightly before sending the final revise to Jerry Jazz Musician.

Patricia Carragon in March of 2019. Credit and Copyright by Patricia Carragon.

Were there any lines in any of your rough drafts of this poem that were not in the final version?  And can you share them with us? I don’t keep rough drafts of my writing. All my poems and fiction pieces are written and edited on my computer.

Patricia Carragon working at her table. Credit and Copyright by Patricia Carraagon

What do you want readers of this poem to take from this poem? I offer my readers an opportunity to delve into the story, as well as to inspire them to listen to the song’s lyrics. In this case, Etta James. My words can only touch on her emotions. The power of her voice transcends my poetry.



At Last lyrics below
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ettajames/atlast.html

Which part of the poem was the most emotional of you to write and why?

 Inside her head,

 anticipation still spins.

 She’s in love,

 waited too long

 for him to come.

This is a story about a woman who finds love after years of loneliness. This woman is learning how to deal with dormant emotions. I would probably feel the same way should love enter my life.

Click below to hear and watch Etta James perform “At Last”

https://www.facebook.com/ThrowbackMusicAndNewSchoolFlavor2/videos/etta-james-live-at-last-1960-classic-happy-birthday-etta-james/308579099793737/

Has this poem been published?  And if so where? “At Last” was just published by Jerry Jazz Musician and was not published elsewhere.

https://jerryjazzmusician.com/
Jerry Jazz Musician web paage

Patricia Carragon’s fiction piece What Has to Happen Next has been nominated for Sundress Publications Annual Best of the Net Anthology. Her poem Paris the Beautiful won Poem of the Week from great weather for MEDIA. She was nominated by Bear Creek Haiku for a Pushcart Prize. Herlatest books from Poets Wear Prada are Meowku and The Cupcake Chronicles and her debut novel, Angel Fire, is from Alien Buddha Press. Patricia hosts Brownstone Poets and is the editor-in-chief of its annual anthology. She is an executive editor for Home Planet News Online. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Patricia Carragon. Credit and Copyright by Patricia Carragon.

Visit her blogs:

https://brownstonepoets.blogspot.com/

https://patriciacarragon8.wordpress.com/

Visit her Books on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5771562.Patricia_Carragon

Author Page on— Amazon.Com

http://amazon.com/author/patricia.carragon

Become herFan on ReverbNation https://www.reverbnation.com/brownstonepoets  

Like her Page on FaceBook

https://www.facebook.com/Brownstone-Poets-143560915675230

All Backstory of the Poem LIVE LINKS can be found at the very end of the below feature:

http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2021/02/will-justice-drakes-intercession-is-251.html

*The images in this specific piece are granted copyright:  Public Domain, GNU Free Documentation Licenses, Fair Use Under The United States Copyright Law.

The other images are granted copyright permission by the copyright holder, which is identified beneath each photo.

**Some of the links will have to be copied and then posted in your search engine in order to pull up properly

*** The CRC Blog welcomes submissions from published and unpublished poets for BACKSTORY OF THE POEM series.  Contact CRC Blog via email at caccoop@aol.com or personal Facebook messaging at https://www.facebook.com/car.cooper.7

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