A memory cold called me today
Rang straight to my heart
but hung up
when my brain answered
I know it was you
Your number
has become an earworm
Those seven ancient digits
their distinctive pitch
up up
up down
down
up
down
Even the feel of fingers
tracing arcs with the telephone dial
muscle memory
after so many years
Sorry to disappoint you
but I see through your soft sell
and I'm not buying
So please remove me from
your list
and allow me to finish my dinner.
submitted for Imaginary Garden With Real Toads, Chew Through Your Own Chains, Out of Standard (Again) with Izy in which we were to think of 3 words or phrases related to a job that we hated and use them in a poem having nothing to do with the job.
My job was as a telemarketer for credit card insurance (BOO HISS!) It was my first job and I quit after the first day because I found it so distasteful!
My words (I used more than 3 because I don't read directions!) were:
cold call
telephone
dial
number
list
pitch
sell
buy
soft sell
dial
ring
hang up
*
Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen
6 comments:
ha. i worked collections myself...and dinner was when you could catch people so you called...so was the number 867-5309? smiles...there are def numbers i can remember in muscle memory...i like how you turned this into a memory calling you, which can be just as disturbing...
Why do these messages from the past trouble the consciousness so? The might-have-beens, the sense of betrayal rekindled...? I think you did a stunning job of incorporating your words into an poem that hits home.
You weaved your words so well throughout this piece.."memory cold" "earworm" love those!
Excellent. I loved the point of view.
Hiya Lola: as a former call center manager, I very much appreciate the two possible readings of this poem. It cold be about a pesky ex-lover whom keeps calling or those pesky telemarketers!
I too loved your placement of your words (and the fact that you chose so many!!!) ear worm stood out the most to me, but the others did such a good job delivering the poem, they deserve some credit as well.
Thanks so much for participating in the out of standard and VIVA LA
I love the up and down placement of the words, so creative on the take ~
At first, this can be pesky caller, but then it applies to everyone who has intruded on our dinner ~ Smiles ~
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