Telephone

Haworth Hodgkinson

— Hello?
— Hi! It's me! I rang last night, but you weren't in.

Correction:

I was in.
The telephone rang so suddenly, without warning.
It startled me.
I froze, staring in terror at the impatient intruder,
holding my breath and praying it would stop.
So it was you!
Were you trying to give me a heart attack?
Don't ever do that again!

Correction:

— Hello?
— Hi! It's me! I rang last night, but you didn't answer.

Correction:

I was expecting the telephone to ring,
and I guessed it would be you.
You ring, and you expect me to answer immediately,
drop whatever else I might be doing, and answer straight away.
No, I thought,
this time you would have to wait.

Correction:

— Hello? Hello?

Written 1994
Edited 2006

Published in The Broken Fiddle Issue 3, 1994
(Banff & Buchan District Council)
and in A Weakness for Mermaids, 2007
(Koo Press)