National Poetry Month 8 of 30: Who Knew?

This may be my current
favorite song on my iPhone.

Who Knew?

If you would have told me
all those years ago
as I played my album
on the white turn table
of the portable record player
I got as a gift,
I wouldn't have believed you.

If you would have told me
as we drove around
in our cars,
driver's license new,
listening to the cassettes
of songs recorded
from the radio,
I would've laughed.

If you would have told me
that someday I would
hold all of my music
right in my hand,
though there was a stack
of albums
in my bedroom
too heavy to carry,
I would have thought
you just might be crazy.

If you would have told me
today
I'd carry a device
smaller than my hand
everywhere.
A box holding 3, 415
of my favorite songs,
spanning from 1955
to now,
a variety of artists and genres,
I would've said it couldn't be so.

Yet, here I am
my music device
isn't just my music device,
it's my calendar,
my communication,
my books,
my entertainment,
my pulse to the world.
Who would have guessed?


© Cathy L. Mere

Every time I hold my iPod in my hand I'm still fascinated by the idea that all the music I love is right in my hand.  Who would've guessed I could have my old music, my new music, and my favorite collections all in one place.  Today I'm joining Scott's Tune 4 Tuesday, National Poetry Month, and a Slice of Life.  You see, this evolution is a story - a story of a gift.  It's also a poem - a poem of an object I couldn't live without (well, at least I hope I never have to live without).  It's a celebration of song.  

So for the today, I thought I'd find out a little about my iPod.  I couldn't believe how much music I have.  It would take a long time to listen to all of it.  I also wondered what was the most played song on my iPod.  Honesty, I was a little surprised to see this was the #1 most played songs on my iPod: One Republic, Apologize.  I would tell you my top 10, but then you might know too much about me.  **wink wink**

April is National Poetry Month.  Again this year, inspired by Mary Lee Hahn, I'm joining other poetry bloggers (view links in sidebar) taking the challenge to share poetry each day during the month of April.  For thirty days my hope is to write a new poem each day.  The first two years I took this challenge I wrote any poem that found me.  This year, however, I've decided to try to write a poem about an object each day.  If you've read Billy Collins' poem, The Lanyard, you may have noticed the way he took an object to tell a much more meaningful story of his relationship with his mother.  My hope is to find the deeper significance in the things around me.  

We're still just fresh out of the Slice of Life Challenge so we're back to posting every Tuesday.  Thanks to Two Writing Teachers for hosting and inspiring us.  Stop by to read today's stories.

Scott is starting a Tune 4 Tuesday.  I love the way he weaves a story with a song.  I'm learning a lot about music along the way and decided to give it a try.