Do you ever find yourself humming a song your grandmother used to sing? A song you haven’t thought of in years? A ditty from a story which comes back when you’re stuck in the middle of a passage of writing? A ditty you could sing, even if you have no idea what the title was? A taunting jeer which turned into a singsong rhyme you couldn’t get out of your head, which comes back to hit you a pinecone striking your temple? Something you used to play on a record (yes, some may fall into the generation gap here, for records were around when I was a child) or something else? Something which you’d forgotten, until it comes back to haunt you?
This is happening to me, more and more. I find myself lost in the memory when it comes back. Sometimes I enjoy the way it transports me back in time. Sometimes I try to claw my way out of the memory, getting away from those voices as fast as possible. (It’s never fast enough.)
Either to capture or exorcise those forgotten tunes, I write about it. Often I shape it into a new form or story. Such songs can be a powerful source of inspiration, even if I’m not ready to face them head on.
What about you, dear reader? Do the songs of your childhood ever come back to haunt you, sparking an idea for a story, a poem, or a blog?