Pause. Listen. Wait.

Their brows raise in response to the rectangle on the whiteboard,
Heads tilted like curious cockatoos,
Thirty pairs of eyes glazed over with a mix of boredom and curiosity.
I hear myself nervously giggle and then ask:
“Not even in your cars?”
Answering shrugs–
Their shoulders transporting me to that
Pause. Listen. Wait. Play.
Hours upon hours spent curating the perfect soundtrack
For beach days, car rides, your best friends.
Lyrics easily become embedded in our heads as the carefully plucked tracks play on repeat.
Until at last we find ourselves at
Pause. Rewind. Wait. Play.
But thirty faces tell me, “No, Miss”
And so I make a note to delete that slide and we move on.
Later, I’ll retell the story to old friends and as our jaws meet the floor,
Our long forgotten tracks play and we remember just once more to
Pause. Listen. Wait. Repeat.