Media

I remember the shine of compact discs

Using them as makeup mirrors

Applying lipstick with giggling friends

While another CD

Blasted out music from the stereo

I remember the warning

"Do not touch the lens"

I remember the smell of warm metal

When my CD player would heat up

From playing for too long

I remember burning through batteries

So many batteries

I remember the ludicrous hilarity

Of the statement "anti-skip"

And I remember further back

I remember the plastic smell of cassette tapes

The tension of the eject button

The satisfying click of the tape popping out

I remember the whir of the reel

When the music went silent

I remember the

"One side must be longer to preserve the continuity"

I remember the tape getting twisted inside the casing

And being a conspiracy theorist over "backmasking"

I remember exactly which ink pen

Worked best to wind the tape back into its casing

I remember the heartbreak

Of a tape deck eating a tape beyond repair

And I remember further back

The satisfying look of a stack

Of multi-coloured 8-track tapes

The faint squeak of reel-to-reel

When the music faded

I remember having to open up the casing

And crazy glue that little foil piece

That holds the two ends of tape together

I remember the dreaded "black tar"

That stopped the tape from sliding into the player

I remember carefully cleaning the heads

With rubbing alcohol

So the music wouldn't

Bleed through from the other side

And I remember further back

I remember the hum of the record player

When I would turn it on

I remember placing the needle

On the edge of the record

And loving the sound of crackles

Before the music started

I remember the little, plastic

Adapter for playing 45s

I remember the unrivaled

Warmth and richness

Of vinyl records

But mostly I remember

My deep and unabiding

Love and respect for music

And the magical little devices

That brought it to me