There was the one time...
We are on the phone, the line drops
Silence leaks into my ear
She was just about to graduate.
It seems like the end, there.
With graduation within reach,
Cap and gown, maybe, hanging
In a closet.
We were surprised, but she was
Always the one who knew her own mind.
I close my eyes as the line drops
Again
Silence is running down my cheek
Dripping onto my collarbone.
I don't know why I am seeing
Her scarlet mortarboard on a peg
Or my aunt's face. I never asked
What her graduation was like,
Never even considered she'd been to high school.
Anyway, Kelly moved shortly afterwards.
She didn't make it to the reunion.
At least, we didn't see her.
I remember ham and mustard sandwiches
A big park full of oaks, hunting acorns.
It was the mid-70s and my aunt
Had skipped the reunion
Although my parents brought us.
And I have no idea who Kelly is
Or why even the phone drops her
Name.
Just in case my mother wanders across the poem: The only realistic elements in here are (1) the annoying way our phones drop lines and (2) mustard on sandwiches at a random reunion. Sharing this with Poet's United Poetry Pantry and with The Sunday Muse.
Hope those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving last week had a wonderful time with family and friends!
-- Chrissa
Luv your mind for fiction. Happy Sunday. Thanks for dropping by my Sumie Sunday today Chrissa
ReplyDeleteMuchđź–¤love
Oh this was interesting and I enjoyed reading it several times....
ReplyDeleteDonna@LivingfromHappiness
I'm glad this is fiction, as I sense an underlying tragedy. Well done, it is especially realistic with the details added in like the ham sandwiches. Nice to see you, Chrissa.
ReplyDeleteI like this - a flash of memory that makes the reader wonder what happened next.
ReplyDeleteIntriguing, evocative ... the switch between outer and inner events is very effective. I love poems which are also stories, and I love this one.
ReplyDeleteLove the wetness of the silence and how you've written it...
ReplyDeleteLove this intriguing piece and the direction in which you took it. It conjured forth, for me: the prelude to a book … a family epic - with dozens of branch/threads. You constructed this so well, I am left poised to turn the page and get on with … the rest of the story.
ReplyDeleteThe image of silence running down her cheek goes so deep, and is as vivid as the memory of lines dropping.
ReplyDeleteThe note to your mom made me grin.
I love mustard on sandwiches
ReplyDeleteSilence leaks into my ear, Oh, I love how you phrase things, Chrissa.
ReplyDeleteI love so many of the lines in this Chrissa, and the comparison of dropping a line, silence and that picture. Sigh....simply wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWhat an intriguing story! phone lines dropping silence - love it!
ReplyDelete