Now I have little – make that no – songwriting experience, but they say “write what you know” and with what I know, I may just be onto something.

The house I rent has a separate small downstairs unit. There is a little boy who lives down there with his mother and sister. His mother has never once taken our shared trash can to the curb even though the trash comes twice a week. Not once. And it’s a long driveway and steep as well. Her trash makes it into the bin: I’ve seen it in there. I guess she figures magic elves are doing the rest. Kind, helpful, embittered, magic elves that live upstairs and have nothing better to do but shlep your trash up and down steep hills twice a week. Maybe they could come over and wash your dishes while they’re at it? Elves live to serve you!

Anywho, the little boy’s name is Luca, and our interactions – all three of them – have pretty much gone like this.

Him: “Who are you!?”
Me: “I’m Vanessa. I live upstairs.”
Him: “oh.”

Never once has he asked about the magic elves, but I have to suspect he wonders where I’m hiding them or whether they could come over and do his homework for him. Apple. Tree. You can fill in the blanks.

So anyway, from what I’ve pieced together, my entry way shares a wall with his living room. The other night I heard Luca screaming bloody murder through the wall, and then I heard a woman pleading with him to “stop hitting yourself!”

Just like that – almost like magic – I came up with a song. I’m kind of stunned at how it materialized so easily in my head. It’s just a first draft, and I’m a little shy about sharing something unworked like this, but I think it has potential.

Be gentle:

My name is Luca.
I live on the first floor.
I live downstairs from you
But I don’t think I’ve seen you before.

If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble. some kind of fight
Just don’t ask me what it was
Just don’t ask me what it was
Just don’t ask me to help with the trash

Thoughts?
Feedback?
Am I getting ahead of myself if I already started working on my Grammy acceptance speech?

Kanye had better not interrupt me. I’m not nearly so sweet as that Taylor Swift…