Lunchbox
When I was three it was Sesame Street
When I turned ten it was Jem
When I hit 17 I got to drive to McDonald's
and now I lunch
inside my head instead.
If you are blind and never know what a color is,
do you dream in black and white
or do you dream only in sounds?
Sometimes if I sit long enough
I smear colors into sounds
The best thing about his spinning
was that it drew people from all places
just to dance.
It was comparable to moths
drawn in by the hundreds to bask
in the light of his creation.
His manipulation of rhythm and true love of music
was evident in all he did
in his fluid motions and tapping
snare-drum fingers;
in his impeccable timing as he let go
of two records at once
perfectly in sync.
When I was three it was Mama's voice
When I turned ten it was New Kids on the Block
When I hit 17 I crammed into warehouses to celebrate
PLUR with my fellow party-kids
and now I dance to the sounds of life, reverberations
I invent myself.
We are all echoes
and we are short-lived
but our sound can travel so far
in the little time we have.