←Recommendations of The Last Song

I'm not one for monologues, in general; I find they are often devoid of any real character or plot development from the beginning to the end, and tend to skew more towards diary entries.

This play, though -- and it is most definitely a play with one person -- does what only the best pieces of writing do: makes every word have a purpose. Told in Carbajal's specific style -- sparse, searing, strangely heartbreaking yet uplifting -- it is a song in itself.

If there was one monologue I'd want to read before I die, this would be it.

A powerful monologue that sheds light on an experience far too many have had this pandemic. As one fights for their life, one reflects on what they need to hear and that others should also realize how precious these things are.

There needs to be a playlist.

I want to listen to every song mentioned in this staggeringly beautiful monologue and bawl my damn eyes out. They're not even those kinds of songs. But context...

Carbajal is a master of powerful simplicity. Speaker Ray doesn't need to get too emotional; you'll be doing that for him. He's just gonna talk about covid and music and dying and the life that's ending and how to exit it. Simple.

If you lost a loved one to Covid to whom music was important, you will hear them.

Damn, I'm crying right now.

Damn.
If you haven't been paying attention to Ruben Carbajal's pandemic plays, I highly suggest you start. They make me think of Ray Bradbury's MARTIAN CHRONICLES, by which I mean, they make me think of Bradbury's preface to those stories, in which the famous author rhapsodizes about Sherwood Anderson's WINESBURG, OHIO, a stitching together of separate but connected tales, and wishes he could write something half as fine.
LAST SONG is such a worthy addition to his collection. I like how Ruben answers the question.
These stories comprise Carbajal's WINESBURG, OHIO. They are very important. They are very fine indeed.