Marshall Anderson is a musician, writer, and artist living in Austin, TX. His book of poems Either Side of Your Dreaming (2015) is available online. He is currently writing both poetry and music for new releases.

So Many Boomboxes

Mandy’s Mom died on her birthday
and every August is hard on her.
She probably asks God,
“Why’d you have to hurt me that way?
Couldn’t it have waited another week?”

I can’t really say anything to Mandy
that would make any sense
so instead I tell her jokes
and silly things like:

You gonna break necks with those kicks girl!
The stars are just marmalade and gin and tonic
and your mom is up there chilling with her friends.
If love was a podium you’d speak to millions silently.
I got rock and roll in the palm of my hand and I love you too.
Someday you’re gonna leave Balch Springs
and George Strait will still be the king.
Don’t leave your heart in the freezer,
thaw it out in the sink and serve it on fine china.
Your mama more than sees you, she is you
like a seed is a tall tree and a caterpillar is a butterfly.
Forgive yourself for everything, that’s what the angels do.
Nothing ever really looks back does it?
It’s like a long drive and you got all the gas money
and a loud radio.

I’d also tell her,
remember how we used to play in the
treehouse Saturday mornings?
Let’s pretend we still go up there
but instead of looking out on the highway
we can see the whole world,
and every person who’s heart hurts
because they miss someone
turns into a summer-time jam
and there’s music for miles and miles.
So many boomboxes
that the oceans turn into gold bass lines
and the lights melt like lava microphones,
the cities are on fire from the keys,
drums banging all up in the neighborhood.

Mandy is my sister and she likes Jimi Hendrix,
I wanna show her heaven in a guitar solo
like it’s my first and last breath.