Angel of Mercy (A found song lyrics poem)

I'm not sure if this poem works. My friend Helen challenged me to write a found poem from a favorite song and post it with the video of the original song. I have always loved James Taylor, his melodies and acoustic guitar, his warm smooth caramel voice, and his story telling.

Several years ago, I either heard an interview or read an article about his song "Frozen Man" from the New Moon Shine album. It's one of my favorite albums and this song is uniquely haunting. JT had read an article in National Geographic about a body that had been found buried in ice and therefore was relatively well preserved considering how long it had been there. I think it was this story. He wrote the song in first person from the perspective of the exhumed body. I liked the song first time I heard it, but once I knew the story behind it, I liked it even more.

Here is my found poem, all words and phrases from the lyrics of Frozen Man. I added nothing of my own, as tempting as it was. Below the poem you will find a video of a live performance of Frozen Man with a brief explanation from JT about the origin of the song.


Angel of Mercy

Lose
a little
life
with
every
breath

Say goodbye
to life on earth,
swallow me whole!

Shock to my body
Mercy from God
Next words spoken to me
Walk the world again

Angel of Mercy
at
the
foot
of
my
bed

Come around again

And the children
when they see me
cry.