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.