06 i never liked loud bass until i met her
i didn't like how it penetrates into your body
how it rattles your bones
how it pounds in your head
how it's all you can feel
'till there's no room for anything else
tenor and alto and soprano be damned
bass is the soloist, the star of the show
i would scoff at people who played loud bass in their cars
disturbing everyone at the red light
that's so inconsiderate
um, this is a shared road?
no one wants to hear your shitty music taste
i never genuinely hated anyone but
i thought those people should burn in hell
until i met her
nothing makes you more of a hypocrite than having a crush
she would blast music in her car
and turn the bass up to 10
while she drove us around town
the sound system was so shit
that the bass rattled the roof, the windows, the trunk
but she didn't care
she laughed and turned it up to 11
and soon enough i was laughing too
pumping my fist to tyler and gambino and swift
artists that i'd never listen to, that i haven't listened to in years
i had never played music at more than half volume with factory settings
but now i was messing with my car's system
trying to recreate that pounding
disturbing
intruding
rattling
familiar
bass
i could never get it right
i used to hate being in fast cars
(i was terrified of dying in a car crash)
but after i met her
i loved sitting passenger
i nodded my head to the beat
as she raced down the street
going 60 in a 45
i also loved the quiet talks we had
talking about dreams, fears, the housing market
driving past roadkill at night
and freaking out--should we call the police?
she would drive me home after ice cream
or a party
or rehearsal
sometimes she would drop me off at my own car
because i left it in the school parking lot
just so i could spend more time with her
most of the time she dropped me off at my driveway
i loved and hated this part
i didn't want it to end
but she always asked the most serious questions at the end
as if she was letting herself chicken out last minute
a part of me wished that she would ask the thing that i desperately wanted
that she wanted to hold onto these last minutes
as much as i did
a part of me wished that she would hug me goodbye
kiss my cheek
tell me not to go
a part of me wanted to stay in that car forever
but it always ended the same
"goodnight"
"thanks for the ride"
"drive safe"
"see you tomorrow"
i wish i had the courage to say more
she made me love pounding, rattling, intrusive bass
she made me feel like a teenager
crazy
unapologetic
carefree
she made me realize
that i didn't give a damn if we were annoying
so what if people turned their heads at the red light?
so what if we were "disturbing traffic for other drivers"?
fuck them.
fuck anybody who wasn't jamming to
our earthquake in a toyota camry
Posted Sep 21, 2022, 2:08 AM UTC