BEFORE THE SIGNAL FADES

I found that old radio
Beneath a box of things,
Turned the dial through the static
Till I heard somebody sing.
A little out of tune,
But I knew every word—
A song I used to sing myself
When I thought nobody heard.

Then somewhere in the distance,
A door slammed down the hall.
The singing stopped. I held my breath.
I knew that house, that wall.
I leaned towards the speaker,
Said, “Son, are you all right?”
He whispered, “How’d you find me?
I’ve been hiding here all night.”

“Did we turn out all right?
Did we ever get away?
Is there someone there who loves us?
Do we have somewhere to stay?”
I said, “There’s so much I could tell you,
But first, hear what I say:
Nothing that happened was your fault.”
Before the signal fades.

He said, “You sound a bit like Dad.
Are you coming home?”
I said, “I’m you, a long way down
The road you haven’t known.”
He laughed and said, “Then prove it.”
So I told him where we’d hide
The notebook full of songs we wrote
And never let outside.

I wanted to give names and dates,
Tell him which way to turn,
Save him every wrong decision,
Every lesson he would learn.
But he asked, “Have we got children?”
And I smiled into the dark.
“Yes, son, and when he calls for us,
We never make him ask.”

“Did we turn out all right?
Did we ever get away?
Is there someone there who loves us?
Do we have somewhere to stay?”
I said, “We built a quiet home,
Where no one feels afraid.
You’ll sleep with both your eyes shut, son.”
Before the signal fades.

Then he asked me, “Do we still sing?”
I looked down at my hands.
My old guitar stood in the corner
Where it had been for months.
I said, “Sometimes life gets busy.”
He said, “But that’s our favourite thing.”
And all the words I’d meant for him
Came finding me again.

“Will you turn out all right?”
Now he was asking me.
“Will you take that old guitar down?
Will you sing a song for me?”
I reached across and held it,
Played the tune he’d sung that night.
Through the static came his little voice,
And I finally got it right.

I woke beside the radio,
With daylight on my face.
For years I’d half remembered
Someone singing through that place.
I used to think I’d dreamed him,
That voice that helped me stay.
Now I knew why he was crying
Before the signal faded away.

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