Things That I Have Left Behind Poem by Gary Witt

Flotsam of the Twentieth Century:
One turntable, fair condition,
A set of speakers, midrange fine,
Woofer badly blown.
Stacks of vinyl records,
Selected tracks profoundly worn,
Mostly scratched, several warped,
Some translucent green or orange.
Underground FM radio.
One portable typewriter, with a split ribbon
To type in script, red or black;
Framed and stopped
To fill in forms.
Movies in black and white
With comic sidekicks
Who would always arrive in time or
Feisty jungle queens,
Who would eventually yield or
Disdainful, rebellious women
In jodhpurs and jack boots
Who would eventually smile.
Evil men with monocles
Riding crops
Dueling scars
Leather coats
And high-crowned
Military caps
Who would die with fitting solemnity.
A clear vision of good and bad
Easy crisp decisions
Tough to enforce
But clear and right.
A skateboard with clay wheels;
The word Ratfink
Shoot the tube,
Boss, Camp, Stoked,
Chopped and Channeled.
Goldie Hawn dancing;
Pumas in the crevices,
And a secret hope
Of electing Pat Paulsen.