Album

Finally our hero has found himself
a memento & a keepsake of a lifetime:
bracing that fragile item in his hands
with caution, with extreme care
he knows his latest buy has a history
that is not to be taken lightly,
that the record he is holding
is meant for playing at full volume
& nothing more than this.

He's in love with those old
phonograph records right down to the scent
of the cover: not time, dust,
nor the elements can keep him away
from that cherished vinyl for long.
But that love takes on
an unbridled life of its own the very instant
he carefully pulls that black vinyl
from the sleeve in which its encased,
heads over to the record player,
& places the needle on the track of his choice.
The sound of crackling vinyl spinning round
at 33 rpm is pure bliss, pure joy
he cannot conceal from his roomies
or his closest friends: music is his life,
it seems, & the record collection is where
his heart always can be located -
even if he's rummaging through the bargain bin
for something noteworthy to blast out
on his antiquated stereo later on.
No denying: he loves his music
& his music responds in kind;
on a day like today such love never fails
to strike resounding chords in his heart.

Today he has once more found
a part of his life which he thought was lost,
something worth cherishing
from the first notes on to the very end.