The Music of the Night - Jan 1 2022

 

The Music of the Night

Jan 1 2022

Talk radio these days

is all politics and commerce,

overheated podcasts

by shameless shills;

culture wars, and paranoia,

bombastic self-promoters.

I happily do without

but understand its draw.

Forget about conspiracy and fear,

it's the reassuring sound

of the human voice

speaking directly into your ear.

Because who doesn't long

for connection and belonging?

I used to go to sleep

with the radio on,

the deep silky sound

of the late night announcer

cozying up to his microphone.

Music, yes

but mostly talk,

going on for hours

as if no one else was listening

and the airwaves were ours.

Between just me and him

as the world slept

and I snuggled in.

Sometimes it was whisky

gravelled with smoke,

sometimes a whisper

a inside joke.

Wit, and whimsy

and an intimate voice

until sleep came over,

drifting irresistibly off

to soft jazz

and the music of the night.

Those days are over now

and I miss that radio voice,

appearing out of the ether

on the bedside table

a few inches from my ear.

As if we were lifelong friends

who had never met

and could only just imagine

how each other really looked.

And rarely, I heard a woman's voice,

materialize out of the dark,

purring softly in a sultry tone,

laughing coyly

at a private joke

just between us.

And how so quickly

I found myself falling in love,

silently wishing

she could hear me just as well.