A Good Listener

Poetry for Madness & (May)hem Day 16

For Madness & (May)hem Day 16, I asked writers to write a story or poem about an object. My entry here is an ode to my old microphone that finally stopped working a few months ago. The one that lasted over ten years. The one that got me where I am now.

Rest easy friend. This one’s for you.

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I know I’m just collecting dust at this point.
But I wanted to say thank you.
For all the stories.
For all those late night recording sessions.

For the drunken rambles at 3 AM.
And, for the sober confessions.
I know I wasn’t built to last forever.
That’s okay.

I think like anything else,
I just wanted to be a part of something.
You know?
A piece of the puzzle.

I’d like to think I was a good listener.
Even if I wasn’t plugged in.
I was there to lend an ear.
And I always kept your secrets.

My favorite times were when,
Everyone was here.
Crowded around as you hit record.
All contributing to a larger whole.

And there I was in the middle,
Silently turning it all into sound waves.
Transmitting it through wires.
Before going back to my shelf.

You know, I kind of thought
that it would have been different.
You know?
That I would have have had one last recording.

I thought I’d be there to hear your magnum opus.
But nope.
The pieces came loose.
Now I’m just a silver shell.

Thanks for keeping me around, though.
Most people would have thrown me out.
And hey, even though I’m broken.
I’m still a good listener.

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Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing

Listen to this after reading. Like pairing a glass of wine with dinner.