Old songs

 Old songs

I was driving down the highway listening to 

the radio all alone like I always am going nowhere 

in particular, trying to clear my head with a 

change in scenery with the windows rolled up 

singing at the top of my lungs songs like 1985 by
Bowling for Soup anything by Blink-182 and Salt

-N-Pepa Shoop minding my own damn business 

and not bothering anybody else when the radio 

stopped playing I looked down hit the on-off button 

a couple of times but nothing at all it was dead I 

thought I must have blown a fuse so I yelled shit

then I slammed my hands down hard on the steering 

wheel yanking the car to the right and pulling over 

to the side of the road slamming my brakes and 

skidding to a stop, I closed my eyes and took a huge 

breath thanking God that it was only me on the road 

then I heard a tune faintly at first, begin playing through 

the speakers and it was not coming from my radio I 

opened my eyes looking around it was darker than I 

remembered I rolled down my window and listened 

but heard nothing but what was supposed to be the 

crickets birds and the ticking of my hazard lights so 

I rolled my window back up and shook my head turned 

the hazards off and adjusted my mirrors and pulled off 

continuing down my path when a memory of my boys 

being born which of course, made me smile at first then 

sad as it went away too fast then I caught myself 

humming a tune that I was trying hard to search the

words too, it was the same one that I had heard earlier 

which was now quietly still playing becoming a little 

louder the farther down the road I drove the longer and 

louder it got the more I was sure I knew this song but I 

thought to myself, why can't I remember those words 

yet I can remember the tune and the more memories 

began to show mostly good not all though then tears 

fell from my eyes for both sadness and joy why I

wondered this went on for two hours like a dam had 

burst, sending a flood of memories through my mind 

feeling every emotion happiness sadness guilt anger 

and more all the ones I hid away because of the pain I 

could no longer take, but why now then nothing the tune 

was ending, and I was pulling into the gas station, and as 

I came to a stop I heard the words I finally remembered.

I smiled that song defined my life it was perfect God 

needed me to let it all go it was time for me to let my 

emotions free, he needed me to end those final chapters 

so I could start a new blank page in a new chapter for my 

new book. I was about to begin my new life like a butterfly 

emerging from its darkness just as I am.

"Oh, our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance"

Then I opened my car door and turned and collided with the
most beautiful woman I ever saw we looked at each other
and laughed and laughed and stood up reached down and
pulled her up she tripped and fell into my arms and a new
song began to play...

"If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she's my only one
And if my time on earth was through
And she must face this world without me"
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last

Songs music poetry is the gateway to our souls
they can control everything about us everyone is
a time machine bringing back memories sights
smells emotions feelings. I believe God uses them
to heal Poets know what words can do that's why
we don't search for old songs. Old songs search
for us.

Poet Richard M Knittle Jr.

A Poets Journey