reflections on a car radio set to scan
the silence becomes unbearable.
scan
i will admit that i am tragically far behind
in terms of the top 40 songs.
after a while they blend together,
my interest abandons ship.
scan
twangy guitar, throaty voice, country music
draws a frustrated groan from the backseat.
this song has the smell of old beer
and misogyny. why won't this girl
fall in love with a jeans-wearing, truck-driving
redneck, whose views on women are
more antique than this country.
she's not interested, asshole.
scan
this frequency must be holy.
only a few words jump out of the sermon—
sin, righteousness, praise the lord.
i wonder what god's personal radio station would sound like.
"next up, we'll be playing the iconic song,
'fifty tired dads singing in a catholic church'. and
make sure to stay tuned for a chance to win eternal salvation at 7:30."
scan static scan static
scan
let's pause for some philosophy.
roxanne has been told countless times
that she does not have to put on that red light.
has anyone considered that she wants to?
if girlfriend has a decent salary,
who are we to judge how she makes it?
scan
i arrive in that love-to-hate-it decade
where love is tainted, dreams are sweet,
the heart has been totally eclipsed, and
the rains down in africa are blessed.
"you can't claim it if you didn't
have to live through it the first time,"
my mother protests. she was born in
the year of brandy (a fine girl), i was born
in the year of lady marmalade.
we must agree to find a balance.
scan
classical music on npr gives off a strong sense
of some composer with a glitzy name
polishing his moustache
while he repeats a morning mantra.
men like this never marry, they spend
their lives pouring music into existence
in the company of a "lifelong friend",
or so i read in history.
(which tends to favor straight answers).
scan
pause
conversation, that elusive bird
is fluttering just beyond our reach
scan
we do the best with what we are given.
it is not ideal, but it is acceptable
to let the radio play itself.
windows roll down. perhaps we are heading home,
passing signs that say road work ahead,
responding with haste,
"yeah, i sure hope it does."
