A-Pathetic Phonecall | Teen Ink

A-Pathetic Phonecall

January 26, 2014
By shockingreality PLATINUM, Manila, Other
shockingreality PLATINUM, Manila, Other
27 articles 4 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
Believe on the Master Jesus the Messiah and you will be saved! (Apostle Paul) #faith #salvation


I'm staring at my reflection
in my bedroom's dresser mirror:
my hair too tousled,
my face much muddy.

A ring.

Second ring.

At the third I watch myself draw in heavily,
and sigh tediously at the fourth.

I wish I easily give up,
but I don't.

Fifth,

Hello?

Your voice, the calmness of a lake,
pulled into a vortex of resounding turbulence:
your brother's shrieks and claps, and
the t(h)ypi(o)ca(rita)l cries of the basketball game commentators.

So I've disturbed you.

I witness the way my cheeks flush,
but almost immediately drained.

Hey!
I'm hosting a dinner on the seventh.
You free?

Where?

My place.

What's the occasion?

My nose reddens,
its nostrils flare.

They say:
boys don't remember
about things they couldn't care less.

Apatheia accentuated.

The television's volume

It's my birthday.

is turned higher—

Three points for Estaban!
Sorry, come again?

It's... my birthday.

then quickly lowered.

Your brother says
he's going to relieve himself.

It is?

Yes.

Oh.

My mouth opens, closes;
opens, closes;
open, closes...

Oh.

I glimpse silver shine in my eyes—those
bloodshot eyes, cradled in puffy purple—
sleepless nights.

Thought I've prepared well for this phone-call.
Why isn't it going as I planned?

Sure, I'll drop by.

She'll be there.

I said it too promptly,

The reflection bites her lower lip,
and swallows.

It came out without deliberation.

Excuse me?

Or did it really?

Because I think
I've secured my friend's attendance beforehand:

I made sure our lady friend would come.

Y'know:

—a bait—if you refused to join.
But you haven't,
And why would you?

Stupid plan B slipped out needlessly.

Never mind.

Mutual understanding in the rarest of sense.

You force a chuckle—
a chuckle sharply executed,
reaching through the line and piercing
my amour-propre,

robbing me of the ability to think rationally,
honestly.

My mind is always in a jumble
when it comes to you, anyway.

No, really, Trish; I'd drop by.

Overwhelmed by the resentment in your tone
tears finally fall—the fullness of my folly
weighs down in my chest:

Trish?

My mouth opens, closes;

Bye, now.

opens, closes;
opens, closes...

Oh.

I'll see you on the seventh.

Thanks.

I want to say thanks.

I want to thank you—
for being polite in the least at the least
though I'm quite of the female creep;

but before I say it,
I encounter a brief silence,
soon the tune of the summoned cradle button
(the sound of the dead pulse of my unpleasant pleadings)

—you've hung up.


The author's comments:
Short poetry prose about a very pathetic, and apathetic phone-call.

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This article has 4 comments.


on Feb. 15 2014 at 7:02 am
shockingreality PLATINUM, Manila, Other
27 articles 4 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
Believe on the Master Jesus the Messiah and you will be saved! (Apostle Paul) #faith #salvation

awww... that's sad to hear. :( but I'm glad that I've expressed something that someone else can relete to. Thank you for your thoughts.

on Feb. 15 2014 at 7:01 am
shockingreality PLATINUM, Manila, Other
27 articles 4 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
Believe on the Master Jesus the Messiah and you will be saved! (Apostle Paul) #faith #salvation

Thank you for your thoughts.

Scruffy GOLD said...
on Feb. 13 2014 at 7:13 pm
Scruffy GOLD, Austin, Texas
10 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Read Write Think

Little boring, but not worse than others!

on Feb. 11 2014 at 9:56 am
Enchanted24 BRONZE, Houston, Texas
4 articles 1 photo 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I couldn't get the boy to kill me, but I wore his jacket for the longest time." - Richard Siken

This is so perfect i feel like you just described my life... "I glimpse silver shine in my eyes—those
bloodshot eyes, cradled in puffy purple—
sleepless nights" this is literally me.