Funeral for a Record Player

No joke. My brother was so moved by the breaking of his beloved record player which he amassed a record collection for, that he decided to give it a Viking funeral, that is, putting it on a boat/raft, setting it on fire and letting it float out until it sank.

The raft that was built was surprisingly sturdy, despite my friends and my own doubts that it would float, it did, even though it was nothing but cardboard and plastic bottles, inflated bags and duct tape.

My brother read a Eulogy for the record player as my friend Josh provided the music on my brother's acoustic guitar (it's a Gibson or something). Here it is:

LP Eulogy by Jonathan Martin

What can be said about a dear appliance?
You were a good friend to those who knew you,
For many you were a target of scorn, for those unelightened folk.
But most of all you were part of something bigger,
You were part of my attic's ensemble of asthetic materials.
However this role does not diminish your importance,
As you were central, the focal point of the space,
Though your stylus did skip and your belt did break,
You made the attic a space worth inhabiting,
We might not have given you the respect you deserved,
But still you played, even though I never dusted you or changed the needle,
You gave all you could give before the end, and for that I'm grateful,
You lived all the way through the seventies and had your share of hard times,
I wasn't the first to own you, but I'm sure I gave you a good home in your final days.
You're everything eBay could have promised, from quality to lifespan.
May we celebrate the life that was and that which was taken,
In hope that you shall find greater peace in the next life than you found in this one.

*****

Doesn't it bring a tear to the eye, it was a much loved record player, I didn't know how to use it and my brother urged me to not touch it, yet it was a part of my life too. Rest In Peace, Record Player.