Relics

by Lisa Molina

Not so long ago, people thought the

old relics died with new high tech ways;

compact, digital, not even tangible.

Streaming in the air, but only if you have

Wi-fi, not Hi-fi.

I remember well waiting months,

weeks, days for the release,

standing outside in moonlight

doors unlocked at midnight.

Oh, how I wanted that first one!

Taking it back to my dorm room

longingly looking at the cover art

foreshadowing the alchemy yet to come.

Finally, the cosmic moment-

Sliding the shiny onyx treasure

gently out of the sleeve.

Careful! Don’t smudge it with your fingerprints!

Setting it on the round table

as the diamond tip of vision

settled into that groove of grooves

to read and hear the

rhythms/words/rhymes/meters/yearnings/betrayals/triumphs/ecstasies/lovers/breakups/reunions

all while spinning round round round

hypnotizing the ears and eyes of my mind.

Sometimes, a revolutionary change,

for you knew this was The One

that would seal the legacy forever.

And now, these holy relics

are sought by collectors;

Special release dates! Alive again!

All so this new generation can

attempt to come close to the

sacrament of that first Receiving.

Some of us wise old-timers preserved

those holy relics of our youth on shelves.

These days they are precious stories to be

told and retold through generations.

And, for that, we are cooler than cool.

Yeah.

Relics.