Relics

Relics

How soon until they are completely gone?
I sit and watch the old-timer thumb through
an outdoor magazine, a doe and fawn
barely seen through the cover’s yellowed hue.
It’s fellows, still waiting on the display,
to entertain or simply pass the time
of some poor soul on any given day,
but their purpose, like them, is past its prime.
For computers, tablets, and of course phones
Can distract a soul for eternity...
And so the rack is often left alone
another victim of modernity
Save for the random old-timer or two
while waiting, pick them up for quick review. 

© Jeremy L. Heath, 2026. All rights reserved

Author note:

I was struck with the thought of this poem while waiting at the Mechanic today. The newest magazine on the waiting rack was 2013. An old timer looked at one for a spell before he started watching the Tv, and I couldn't help but wonder how much longer businesses would supply the waiting room with magazines (or TV's for that matter) when everyone has a distraction device at the ready when they walk in anyhow.