april 21st

a poem about a night of binging on nirvana



over a half life ago they were the centre of my musical world
probably accounting for a third
of all the songs i heard
(though to temper this -
it was before i discovered bis
but thats for another poem)
they were the home
base from whence my musical forays
launched - well them or oldschool greenday -
they were the benchmark
they were always the start
and for two months, each
night i fell asleep
listening to my new tupelo bleach
they helped me meet
a web community
who were briefly
another family
and they were the first name on my tongue
when anyone asked the immortal question
"what do you listen to?
what do you like?
what are you like?
who are you?"
since these questions are all the same
if there was a soundtrack to my brain
they appeared at least once per episode
and when they started not to
there was a sense of foreboding
i shouldnt have ignored
they were my first bond
with my best friend


but the world is full of new excitements
you cant afford to let your ears get stagnant
life just doesnt stop
every day another new groove to drop
ill never hear

folding my faded once-black tshirt into a drawer
i felt a pang of yearning for before
and - in a move that would have astonished the me of then
who listened to tapes made from library cds -
i turned on my pc
found a folder labeled with their name
a pressed play





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see my last.fm profile for this week