Animated Illustration by H. Kristen Campbell
the radio producers dilemma
driving my derelict mazda home after a shift
visors down to keep the electric sky from crashing my car
its 1246 and i hear myself on the radio talking about blind canadians
awareness and contribution and i know that yesterday
i scheduled myself to talk about blind canadians at 1246
my voice cuts to synthesizer crescendos and i slow down
for a pedestrian backlit by the brilliant blaze of sun
my engine and heart sputter for her
a beautiful bleached blonde in headphones and a red bandana
her tattooed forearms sway with the frequent beats on the fm dial
and i wonder if she’s got good taste in music
and if she’d like me if she got to know me
then its 1255 and i’m talking to myself and everyone through the fm again
talking about film festival box offices
as my dying turn signal metronomes at double speed
i keep driving one way streets
grey and blue exhaust dancing in my rearview
drowning two cyclists in lycra spandex
i watch minutes turn by on the dashboard
and wait to hear myself again
the voice on the radio talking about pub nights
and the one in my head talking about how strange it is
that i don’t find hearing my own voice strange anymore
Johnnie Regalado is a maker and organizer living in Victoria, BC and a graduate from the University of Victoria’s Creative Writing program. Most days are spent inside a radio station, but some are spent writing poems on a phone while wandering through the wilderness.
Animated Illustration by H. Kristen Campbell.