by James Morehead

I was a DJ back in the day
a one man show:
Peavey amp, Technics in tow
hired fuel for college dorms.

I wore headphones pressed tight
searching for the perfect beat
hidden deep in vinyl grooves
to feed the dancing hordes.

My records were stored
in milk crate stacks
to tilt on edge, one by one,
waiting for their needle drop.

Boyfriends came up
with glares—intense
and slurred song requests
before they staggered off.

Sometimes I would reward them
with a song for holding close
but always saw the lonely few
left waiting on the sides.

As midnight passed, the fever pitched,
I’d unleash a crescendo mix
to ride them into dawn
until the final song was spun.

James Morehead is Poet Laureate of Dublin, California. James has published two collections of poetry: “canvas” and “portraits of red and gray.”His poem “tethered” was transformed into an award-winning hand drawn animated short film, “gallery” was set to music for baritone and piano, and his poems have appeared in the Ignatian Literary Magazine, Beyond Words, 2nd Place – Oprelle Oxbow Poetry Contest 2022, Wingless Dreamer, Prometheus Dreaming, Cathexis Northwest Press, and other publications.

James Morehead as the DJ