it is when
all you hear
is a bumping sound
with a few short bursts of
crackle,
that you realize
the songs have all ended.

you must flip
the record to side two
or change out the record
to hear new songs.

-it doesn’t just switch itself-

neither can you pick and choose
your music with play-list ease,
without the drop sound of the needle scratching

-abruptly-

the music must play from beginning to end,
the way it was meant to be heard.