GUARD THE QUEEN, A MEMORY FRAG

his voice was batman deep

with a record player crackle

& he used to work 

at guarding the queen

but i was 

too young then

on the floor 

with a colouring book

in a world

of shoes & voices

to hold it 

against him

& too small to know

about the bullshit of bills 

WITH THE AUTHORITY OF AN INDUSTRY ANALYST

hmv sells nostalgia now
lps there i ignored 

the first time around

old metalheads
list records in surprise
bruce dickinson ! the kinks !

~

i hear a man
loud & off somehow
tell his ladyfriend
quiet but off somehow
about how he owned a record player

just like this one

& when he says

im glad vinyl is making a comeback

with the authority

of an industry analyst

she answers

who is vinyl ?

~

i take a punt

on a jazz percussionist

with a reduced sticker

its a name i can almost place

& leave
thru the merch blockade

of

tshirts & totes & tat