It was pretty in May but it died in June

If I could be just one thing
I would be what you’re craving
Six foot three with steel blue eyes
Sweep you off of your feet before you count to five

from “Iris” by Mike Posner

I have been obsessed with this song for over a month.

I find myself singing it whenever my mind wanders. It’s been years since I’ve memorized the lyrics to any song but this one I managed to pick up without much effort: the first four lines, then the next four, then the chorus, and so on.

I sing it and play it so often that it’s become so familiar that it’s comforting.

I’ve been trying to figure out what about this song speaks to me more than the others on the album (At Night, Alone.) and more than the vast majority of songs I’ve ever heard. When I sing it I think about relationships, I think about the power of the desire to be craved, I think about the world I’m passing through. When I play it without following the lyrics line-by-line, I’m not even sure where my mind goes but sometimes I can feel myself brimming with emotions both happy and sad.

It’s definitely my song of June. What’s yours?

Ohh I watched her go
After she planted her love in the top soil
And from the top soil an Iris bloomed
It was pretty in May but it died in June

from “Iris” by Mike Posner

I love it so much I have been tracking the irises in my flower bed. As an ode, as a reminder, as an expression of desire—I’m still not sure.