Topic: What if
By Larry Meath
(The actual topic was “If Only” but failure to read carefully combined with old age resulted in the following poem.
It happened so suddenly
My ears had quit ringing
As I stepped onto the deck
And the birds had stopped singing.
It struck me as odd
That those sounds so sweet
Were replaced by the roars
Of only cars on the street.
I stepped back inside
And spotting my guitar,
I plucked an old tune
But the sounds were bizarre.
Instead of a melody
Or chords that were soothing,
The only sounds to be heard
Were cacophonous and bruising.
Now in a panic
I searched on the dial
For a musical station
And sounds less vile.
But all I could find
As I searched out in vain
Were the rantings of people
And news filled with pain.
“What’s happened to the music?”
I screamed out aloud.
The world has gone crazy
Sounds are wrapped in a shroud.
No matter my efforts
The results were the same:
The music was gone.
Was I going insane?
But as quickly as it started
I realized no harm
As I sleepily reached out
And turned off my alarm.