Crystal Radio - Joseph Cutler

[Larry Robinson]

Crystal Radio


My first reaction

to hearing the music

in the middle of my head

was to complain

to the dentist, “it all

started when I ate a

melted chocolate bar,

and some of the tinfoil

wrapper, now talk radio

is keeping me awake.”

I learned

to change the station-

I move

the tiny foil ball

north or south

east or west

across the top

of my newest filling.

FM Jazz, Spanish, Mandarin,

a Christian station, AM-all the

news-all the time. Only

when I eat tomatoes

in my salad can I get

the classical station,

music that says

be joyous,

melancholy, alive.

No lyrics, no ads,

no demands.

“Don’t worry, that

tooth is almost a crown”,

she laughed. “Before long

you’ll lose all

your stations

and have to settle

for gold, and

canned pop,

like the rest of us.”

I am dreading

the crown, the

watered down,

canned pop.

She plays it in her

office. Time slows.

She has surrendered.

I asked her,

if that happens,

can you give me

another filling?

	- Joseph Cutler