A Vestige of My Youth

A Vestige of My Youth

 

 

It was winter

the year my unemployment checks

were running out.

I was barely getting by paying rent

existing on cold pizza and ramen noodles,

with a diamond deck of solitaire

to kill the monotony of time.

 

It was the eighties,

the era of hair metal bands and MTV.

I worked in a record store

when LP’s were just beginning to phase out. 

A place that my friends referred to as

“the dream job.”

 

 I was single then

dating men with the frequency

of Monday night football,

writing free verse crossed legged on a hardwood floor

with a smith corona, a halogen lamp

and Jessie.

 

Fast forward twenty years

and here I am

wishing I could go back

to the rush of those nine to five days,

flipping through numerous categories of LP’s

in chronological  order,

cramming the copious names of artists

and classifications of music

into the cerebral of my brain.

 

A vestige of my youth

so well spent. 

 

Reviews

[Dara]

This is just wonderful Kelly. It’s amazing how our memories can take us right back to those unforgettable moments of our youth. I can just picture you standing among the LP’s and then sitting cross legged on the floor writing. Your furry friend Jessie makes the image complete. Loved this!

[Kelly Scheppers]

My dear Dara, sometimes just having the presence of a friend on my page is worth more than any words can construe. Thank you!

[JessyJacob]

Dear Kelly, You said it is vestige and also someone is feeling nostaligc about it, then why not to revive the history, because we can go ahead and reach high, but there is nothing wrong with revisting the history and make some changes, long sleeves been 80s 90s short sleeves ans 2000s no sleeves, we would like great in long sleeves again, its my feeling. Fashion is reinventing incorporating the old style too, but anyway, if few feel good about past i am glad, i too keep updated with latest trends some of them to follow. I keep restricted to long hair and long dresses. I know my man doesnt like these two go beyond to short i see keep them same though how fast the world is changing.


Thank you, its great rewinding, and remembering some points of past and seeing everyone's reactions on it.
Great lines and sinking well.
I dont want to get separated in name atleast.
-jessy.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you for being here, Jessy! Hope you're having a wonderful summer!

[JessyJacob]

This summer is special to me, as my son with me, more manageable than last one, he is quite outgrown now, and great decisions ahead. Hope summer is keeping you busy with vacations off.

[JessyJacob]

Great going, you have an outstanding talent in managing I saw Tri- opportunities of positions. Reach the sky.

[JessyJacob]

Hi Kelly, I think Ken has to take retirement, making home 🏡 makes mom happy. I am glad, 3 of at biz it will definitely be in top 50. Sorry if I am making you all too much to work. But to read your poetry I am waiting for. I’m doing fine.

[JessyJacob]

Well I could see your portrait on cover page too soon. The emerging top company.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Jessy, thank you for your visit today. Be well and remember you have a purpose in this life!

[JessyJacob]

Thank you dear Kelly. Sure.

[Fran Marie]

A lovely poem Kelly reminiscing about bygone days
the once vinyl LP s so many stacked high, sadly the
world has vastly changed and fast. High tech electronics
and internet speeding life into the fast lane, now AI moving
fast and. beyond ..soon we'll all be robotic androids living
in a fake plastic perfected world...your poem brought back
such pleasant memories to behold ..an enjoyable read

[Kelly Scheppers]

"High tech electronics and internet speeding life into the fast lane." So well articulated, Fran. Thank you so much for your visit and kindness of words!

[redzone]

KELLY, HI!!!! it is so nice to read you again.... you may think I'm a bit crazy, but I have always envisioned you, sitting cross-legged and writing your poems, while in the background the vinyl crackled some smoothe jazz (maybe Boney James, or Najee) and a glass of wine (perhaps some Merlot or Rose) next to you... your today's poem of memory took me there again, a voyeur walking through your words and watching your pen flow across the page.... Kelly, thank you for exciting my imagination, for sharing your poem... it is good to read you again!!!

[Kelly Scheppers]

CURT!!!! Hello!! Lol, It looks like you know me pretty well, my friend! Lol, what a thrill it is seeing you. Thank you for your presence here today, and for the light you bring!

[redzone]

Strange, when I came back a few days ago, I was thinking I have to go and see if Kelly is still posting and say HI and then you left that short hello on my profile and it made me smile!!! YES, SHE LIVES!!! lol... I sent you a note on your profile and tried to link a Najee song but it wouldn't let me... oh well... it was Najee's 'AS', in the album 'In The Key of Life (a tribute to stevie Wonder)' Anyway, it is really good to read and "see" you again Kelly.

[Vol]

Kelly!
Hahaha! I wish the eighties were only twenty years ago... Isn't it fun, better than television or movies, to watch those brilliant memories of how we moved around in better lighting, hazy around the edges, tiny bits of conversation echoing, the touch of someone's hand on our skin, the taste of cheap wine, and what all of it does to that thing we are, stuck here in this trap of aging flesh?
It is a kind of beauty to sit in a party of my own memories so when I go out and to wrestle something new out of the time I have left, I have a map to follow.
Vol

[Kelly Scheppers]

My favorite remembrance of those days is actually my sister-in-law, who at the time was my assistant manager. Whenever we get together, or even talk on the phone, it's like stepping back into a better day. Thank you so much, Vol!

[Bhuyanshi Talukdar]

Your poem is a powerful reflection on the way that our memories of the past can shape our present-day experiences. The way that you describe your experiences working in a record store in the eighties is particularly striking, and it speaks to the idea that the past can often seem more vivid and exciting than the present. The contrast that you draw between your current experiences and the rush of those nine to five days is also very powerful, and it speaks to the idea that we often look back on the past with a sense of nostalgia and longing. The final lines of the poem are particularly poignant, as they suggest that your memories of that time are a vestige of your youth, and that they serve as a reminder of a time when life was simpler and more exciting.

[Kelly Scheppers]

This is quite a review! Thank you most kindly for the warmth it brings in touching my heart!

[Ted Kniffen]

Kelly, much like jacob I came of age in the 60's, but my love of music goes back to those days before rock and roll made it's noisy entry into the world. Still have a love for Big Band music and rockabilly tunes. An eclectic mix for sure.
There are two things I still do whenever I come across them ... thumb through racks of vinyl and wander the aisles of book stores. There is definitely a feeling of nostalgia in your poem ... unfortunately "the river" only flows one way so there is only looking back and with any luck having someone to help relive those memories.

Well done.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Ted, you've touched a nerve in me. I love the big band music, the torch singers who sat atop a Steinway piano belting out tunes like, "The Man That Got Away". Thumbing through racks of vinyl and wandering the aisles of book stores is one of my favorite pastimes, although I believe record stores have now become extinct. I couldn't help but feel sad, swapping out LP's for CD's. All that art cover - lost! Thank you so much for a heartfelt review. You've made my day!

[John]

A plain spoken spoken trip down memory lane with a diamond of a metaphor at the heart of it. Love the rueful punchline.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Thank you, John. I'm always thrilled to welcome a new reader!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

my youth was in the sixties...45's and sock hops and Midnight Cowboy and college forever nights
playing ping pong, and knocking conversation back and forth face to face....
and then something happened....got different.
I still love that vinyl....and the old typewriter...
but just imagine it as I tap the keys on my computer and flash my spell check that tells me
to spell a word the way I don't want to.
phenomenal nostalgic write, Kelly.
And I happen to still like cold pizza....
j.

[Kelly Scheppers]

I was really anxious for you to read this, for I knew how much you loved the vinyl days, and the LP art. I don't believe there are any music stores still around and kicking. What a lost art! Thanks so much, Jacob!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Alas, Kelly....we have one in Carbondale, and it is called Plaza Records....All vinyl, nothing else.
a fun place to visit.
j.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you would submerge yourself there and swim forever.

[W. Barrett Munn]

This is rather amazing; it flows so well; it states without apology or explanation; and it doesn’t try to explain.

In a nutshell, it’s perfect.

Winston

[Kelly Scheppers]

I am thrilled beyond words! Wow, thank you so much, Winston!