Black Vinyl

Gold cherry
Poem of the week

By ralph

Tue, 01 Jul 2025
  • 613 reads
11 comments
 

Black Vinyl 

 

And we are now listening through lo-fi.

Tinny of ear, buffeted of bass. 

Cup your ears for the middle.

Nothing, not a drone, or revolution.

 

On the Somerset levels they chorus ‘Death’.

And In Gaza, once it's done, there will be no echoes.

If you stamp on the dead grass of old Europe,

you’ll still hear a faint crackle. A history hiss.

 

 

 

 

Certificate U
Poem

Comments

Submitted by Di_Hard on

"history hiss" is great. I was too dense to get your full meaning the first time of reading, so glad I read again. And again. And again. fabulous

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Brilliant poem. This is our Pick of the Day. Do share on social media.

Hope the photo is ok. Let me know and will change it, if not. It's from wikimedia commons so no issue re public domain.

 

 

Submitted by GlosKat on

A hiss story, brilliant !  And you are so right, we humans never learn, making the same mistakes again and again like a cracked record ..

Sorry if I am missing your sublety which everyone else has understood, but is meant to be 'feint' in the final line, not 'faint' ?

 

Submitted by ralph on

Thank you. Should be faint.

Best,

Ralph

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Oh, I liked feint, too, like in fencing when it's a pretend attack, not real

 

Submitted by GlosKat on

Yes I did read it several times, wondering about the use of 'feint'.  I was thinking along the lines of a feint being a subterfuge, like the grass was just pretending to crackle ..

 

 

Submitted by Jessiibear on

This is beautiful—masterful in its compression and weight.

Every line feels carefully etched, rich with imagery and layered sound. “A history hiss” will stay with me. That quiet crackle of the past still echoing beneath everything—we hear it, even through the distortion. Stunning work.

 

Jessheart

Submitted by Di_Hard on

"once its done, there will be no echoes"
should this be "it's done"?

 

Submitted by ralph on

Aye. Thanks.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Congratulations! This is Poem of the Week!

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

As others have said, it's stunning, on another level. The use of metaphors and the atmosphere.