Stereo Instructions

The paragon of idyllic dulcet resonance

awaited at the stereo store,

replete with a manual of miniscule details,

that allowed the listener

to savor the most incredible stereophonic quintessence,

a fantastic plethora of amazing reverberations

more intense and vivid

than any sounds the ear could detect.

 

It’s fame as an hearing wizard

able to summon fantastic audible expressions

drew flocks to purchase it

by scores in patrons,

all lusting for a chance

at hearing the impossible,

a butterfly’s fluttering wings,

the sounds of grass growing

even the tones of ice melting.

 

How quickly people brought them home

obsessed to hook up their new equipment,

barely flipping through the instructions,

most failing to notice the warning page

about setting the controls

so they filtered out certain frequencies

known to result in causing insanity.

 

In homes around the land

people sit with headphones on,

minds fried from those dark decimal detriments,

but with smiles on their face

from the smugness of being too smart

for truly perceiving the words in a manual.