I played percussion in high school and grew up listening to blues and jazz, so I have an attraction to music. We had the option of selecting several different poems, but when I saw this one, I just got this image in my head that I knew I'd be able to work with.

All of my drafts had some particular theme. They all involved a big emphasis on music, and somehow capturing the scenery. I wanted the background to become part of the musical aspect of this piece. So, after a couple of sketches I found one that lent itself more to the design aspect of the work and conveyed the feeling that the entire environment was reacting to the music.