Just Hello
When I was a kid, our telephone
was in the coat closet. Shiny as
night was black. Rotary dial.
Very Humphrey Bogart.
Even with the closet door closed,
you could hear its urgency. That
shrill ring. Didn’t sound like birds
chirping or a motorcycle engine.
And no one ever rang to just say,
Hello.
Hey. How’s it going, babe.
What about this weather, eh?
Your heart jumped into your throat
when the phone rang. Hairs on end.
Who’s died was your first thought.
Suddenly, death. Or a car crash.
Dad always said that a phone call
was money, and we didn’t have
much of it back then, so hang up.
No one every called to just say,
Hello.
for Miz Quickly’s Forgotten Places/Objects Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash. Shared with #APoemADay on Twitter ©Misky 2021
It's Still Life 
6 responses to “for Miz Quickly’s The Forgottens”
Long distance was cheaper at night, but a call after dark was always bad news.
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You had a telephone! Luxury! We used to dream about telephones!
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You had dreams! Luxury! We used to dream about having dreams! 😂
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I remember that kind of phone in my grandparents homes. And four line party system. Someone was (or so you thought) always listening in to spread the gossip. Some older homes had nooks just for the phone with a shelf for the telephone directory. Now we wonder how we ever managed with corded phones. Though I suspect there are still a few of those around. We haven’t given up our ‘land-line’ yet.
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Yes, a phone nook. That’s what it was. 😀
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Ours was a party line. Glad that is just a memory.
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