THE VOICE OF ENERGY - In memory of Florian Schneider

"The people who understand music understand silence."
                                 David Hockney


1975 or thereabouts and
my father is infected with

Radio-Aktivität
I lost in it

Kraftwerk's latest
offering.

It emerges from its inner
white sleeve

with a slight shhhhhh
tuck

shucking off its black
'Deutscher Kleinempfänger' cover.

Alien as anything
we have heard

straight from
Kling Klang studios.

Enjoying the fun
of its hyphenated pun.

Fizzing with radioactive decay
conflated with radio communication.

The album spinning
a black pool of sound

mesmerising the mind
as the needle picked up fluff

advancing from track
to track

finally arriving at
"Ohm Sweet Ohm."

"Dónall son...what on earth
is that!"  my father winces.

The da da dit bit
eating into my father's brain

spelling out its name
in Morse of course.

"Aghhh I can't stand it!"
he blurts out.

"Sorry Da!" I say.
Turn it off 'til he goes away.

But a mere day later he
hums as he saws

wood to make
a window.

"Radio-Aktivität
Fur dich und mich in All entsteht!"

Contaminated with it now
he even sings the Morse Code bit.

"Radio -Aktivität
Strahlt Wellen zum Empfangsgerat