A Vestige of My Youth

A Vestige of My Youth

 

 

It was winter

the year my unemployment checks

were running out.

I was barely getting by paying rent

existing on cold pizza and ramen noodles,

with a diamond deck of solitaire

to kill the monotony of time.

 

It was the eighties,

the era of hair metal bands and MTV.

I worked in a record store

when LP’s were just beginning to phase out. 

A place that my friends referred to as

“the dream job.”

 

 I was single then

dating men with the frequency

of Monday night football,

writing free verse crossed legged on a hardwood floor

with a smith corona, a halogen lamp

and Jessie.

 

Fast forward twenty years

and here I am

wishing I could go back

to the rush of those nine to five days,

flipping through numerous categories of LP’s

in chronological  order,

cramming the copious names of artists

and classifications of music

into the cerebral of my brain.

 

A vestige of my youth

so well spent. 

 

Reviews

[Vol]

Kelly!
Hahaha! I wish the eighties were only twenty years ago... Isn't it fun, better than television or movies, to watch those brilliant memories of how we moved around in better lighting, hazy around the edges, tiny bits of conversation echoing, the touch of someone's hand on our skin, the taste of cheap wine, and what all of it does to that thing we are, stuck here in this trap of aging flesh?
It is a kind of beauty to sit in a party of my own memories so when I go out and to wrestle something new out of the time I have left, I have a map to follow.
Vol

[Kelly Scheppers]

My favorite remembrance of those days is actually my sister-in-law, who at the time was my assistant manager. Whenever we get together, or even talk on the phone, it's like stepping back into a better day. Thank you so much, Vol!

[Bhuyanshi Talukdar]

Your poem is a powerful reflection on the way that our memories of the past can shape our present-day experiences. The way that you describe your experiences working in a record store in the eighties is particularly striking, and it speaks to the idea that the past can often seem more vivid and exciting than the present. The contrast that you draw between your current experiences and the rush of those nine to five days is also very powerful, and it speaks to the idea that we often look back on the past with a sense of nostalgia and longing. The final lines of the poem are particularly poignant, as they suggest that your memories of that time are a vestige of your youth, and that they serve as a reminder of a time when life was simpler and more exciting.

[Kelly Scheppers]

This is quite a review! Thank you most kindly for the warmth it brings in touching my heart!

[Ted Kniffen]

Kelly, much like jacob I came of age in the 60's, but my love of music goes back to those days before rock and roll made it's noisy entry into the world. Still have a love for Big Band music and rockabilly tunes. An eclectic mix for sure.
There are two things I still do whenever I come across them ... thumb through racks of vinyl and wander the aisles of book stores. There is definitely a feeling of nostalgia in your poem ... unfortunately "the river" only flows one way so there is only looking back and with any luck having someone to help relive those memories.

Well done.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Ted, you've touched a nerve in me. I love the big band music, the torch singers who sat atop a Steinway piano belting out tunes like, "The Man That Got Away". Thumbing through racks of vinyl and wandering the aisles of book stores is one of my favorite pastimes, although I believe record stores have now become extinct. I couldn't help but feel sad, swapping out LP's for CD's. All that art cover - lost! Thank you so much for a heartfelt review. You've made my day!

[John]

A plain spoken spoken trip down memory lane with a diamond of a metaphor at the heart of it. Love the rueful punchline.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you, John. I'm always thrilled to welcome a new reader!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

my youth was in the sixties...45's and sock hops and Midnight Cowboy and college forever nights
playing ping pong, and knocking conversation back and forth face to face....
and then something happened....got different.
I still love that vinyl....and the old typewriter...
but just imagine it as I tap the keys on my computer and flash my spell check that tells me
to spell a word the way I don't want to.
phenomenal nostalgic write, Kelly.
And I happen to still like cold pizza....
j.

[Kelly Scheppers]

I was really anxious for you to read this, for I knew how much you loved the vinyl days, and the LP art. I don't believe there are any music stores still around and kicking. What a lost art! Thanks so much, Jacob!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Alas, Kelly....we have one in Carbondale, and it is called Plaza Records....All vinyl, nothing else.
a fun place to visit.
j.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you would submerge yourself there and swim forever.

[W. Barrett Munn]

This is rather amazing; it flows so well; it states without apology or explanation; and it doesn’t try to explain.

In a nutshell, it’s perfect.

Winston

[Kelly Scheppers]

I am thrilled beyond words! Wow, thank you so much, Winston!

[Sami Khalil]

Memorable times, fun-filled Era. This was a wonderful experience and cherished. An autobiographical poem that shed the light on the poet's likes and dislikes, music, job, men.
Wow!

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you most kindly, Sami!

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome 😊.

[Lorry]

Well Kelly, even the hipsters have brought vinyl back, is there any need to go back to your youth, other than being young, not making noises when picking things of the floor and self off sofa? Well apart from those things, you can add the cost of vinyl albums these days (in a cost of living crisis too. I remember the eighties well and if anyone tried to charge me almost thirty pounds for an album, I'd have thought they thought I wanted to buy the band instead!)
Still, it's another reason to punch those hipster tears, with their beards of infinite complexity and who knew there'd be other reasons needed to do that, when the parade about looking like eighteenth century cricketers! They love their old shot, don't they! But what's the deal with the capes? They're new and you should punch them for that too! Seriously!
Now, what was I talking about before hipsters annoyed me by entering my mind and making me remember they are real?
Oh yeah, the eighties. What the he'll was wrong with Dunking donuts? They were perfectly decent donuts, but then krispy kreme came along and decided we all needed more sugar and made donuts sickening. I tell ya, it was probably a hipster behind them, so another reason to slap them some more!
Nobody ever looks at CD artwork, do they? Or cataloguing their favourite 500 downloaded albums? We definitely lost something in the 80's, didn't we?
I used to love listening to albums all the way through, even the crap tracks you can skip now. Buying a new album used to be an event, now it's click, listen, the end.
I want the 80's back!
And I'd quite like my youth back too please!
And to maybe upload all hipsters back to then too, when it was still okay to laugh in people's faces without being called a hater!
I really miss the eighties!

[Kelly Scheppers]

Personally, I think the eighties were the best decade for music. But I love Sinatra, too. Album art was a class all it's own, wasn't it? What a thrill it was taking off the shrink wrap, absorbing it from the inside out. Thanks so much, Lorry!

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

I, too, wish I could go back to the 80's. I loved the days of going to mall to visit the record store. While hard at times, they were the best of times.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Indeed, it was the best of times! Thank you so much Linda. Hope you're having a wonderful summer!

[An owl on the moon]

So grateful that you can voice your thoughts like a song... and help us all be found dancing in those days... lingering in the sweet memories that only mean a little more in each passing day. Sitting here... next to my record player... so glad those days aren't ancient history. Wondrous thoughts! 🎵🎶🎼

[Kelly Scheppers]

Although stereo components and vinyl have made a comeback, I believe record stores have become a thing of the past. It's truly a world all it's own, and I'm so proud to have been a part of it! Thank you, Craig!