Vinyl
Vinyl (3/1/19)
“Wow, everybody just cleared out.
“That’s what happens when you leave a
“Bookstore with vinyl.”
I haven’t a clue what she meant
And to be perfectly honest, I’m not
Sure she knew either. She also
Carried some vinyl from the bookstore
That people clear out of because it
Sells vinyl: Hairspray. She was
Very excited to show me that she
Could now complement a vinyl record
She’d purchased earlier: High School
Musical. It was that Hairspray.
She almost bought a Panic! at the Disco
Album too, Death of a Bachelor, but
Money has a way of losing its prowess
Once you’ve already committed it to
Something else. I moseyed through
The aisles while she carried Hairspray
Under her arm, saw a Ghost record
With only five songs; almost grabbed
An Iron Maiden vinyl out of sheer
Curiosity, but laziness didn’t want me
To pull my hands out of my jacket
Pockets; Frank Sinatra could be seen
Tipping his hat and The Red Hot Chili
Peppers’ greatest hits were nearly
Overshadowed by a misplaced Prince.
Green Day boasted nearly an entire
Shelf, but Revolution Radio was the
Album up front—a mistake when
Dookie and American Idiot were both
Present. Daft Punk had some vinyl,
But who looks at a track list of theirs
And thinks, “Oh, yes, a classic DP
“Track right there.”—? Even Pulp
Fiction had some vinyl, “featuring”
The voices of John Travolta and
Samuel L. Jackson and conversations
Their characters had in the movie;
Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon was
The only notable track. Although I
Was yet to learn the fact about bookstores
That sell vinyl, I did notice that we
Were the only people there. Perhaps
It was because the store was only
Open for another fifteen minutes,
Or maybe no one wanted to buy a
Vinyl record of Pulp Fiction. Maybe
That’s just what happens in a bookstore
That sells vinyl.
The shelves were all full, and yet I
Was amazed at a lack of other qualities:
The Smashing Pumpkins were not to be
Found, nor anything by Alter Bridge, or
The Killers, or Queen, or Post Malone,
But somehow J. Cole’s latest release
Was there. I was underwhelmed with
The options, but someone else was
Overjoyed with Hairspray. That Hairspray.
And I was only frustratingly staring at
The front cover of the Arctic Monkey’s
Suck It and See, wishing they hadn’t
Decided on such a minimalist approach.
Our cars were the only ones left in
The parking lot. Everybody just cleared
Out. I guess that’s what happens when
You leave a bookstore that sells vinyl.
Perhaps they didn’t want Pulp Fiction,
Or they were as disgusted as I was with
Suck It and See. Maybe they just missed
The last Hairspray. That Hairspray.
Needless to say, I never figured out
What she meant.
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