cassette

I am lucky  

to be from a time 

when you had cassette 

as the popular medium 

you had to really commit 

to the music

fast forwarding was not an easy task.

you couldn't just skip the artists hard work 

in a split second

you couldn't just opt out of their 

pain 

struggles 

and expression in one click 

you had to really commit

it was the endnote of an age 

where you really had to 

appreciate an entire album 

and if you really loved a song 

it was worth waiting for the tape to rewind

it paid off 

it gave you something to wait for 

and by that second listen 

and that second wait 

watching the spool collect 

it was still chilling 

it was still worthwhile 

you knew you had a moment 

always celebrated when you would 

hear that song a decade later.

You would grow with the cassette 

as the song titles wore off the face 

you still knew the order 

as the tape would warp and 

time would take its toll 

the notes would still resonate 

further in the distance 

by this time it didn't matter 

time could try to leave a dent 

try push all its weight 

on those songs 

by that time it didn't matter 

cause you didn't need the cassette 

any longer

the songs you would never forget 

and you could hear in your sleep 

and you could sing to yourself 

even a decade later