before life began

in the night

shade

of my room, the blue

lights

of my Pioneer

receiver,

setting some sort

of mood,

i'd lie in bed and listen

to the stack

of lp's

i mounted on the turntable.

Elton,

and McCartney,

Croce,

Dylan.

i knew each crackle

in the vinyl.

each skip, each word

forever

etched in memory.

it was before so much,

almost

before life began.