YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT

Michael O'Donnell 1948 (Iowa)

Friendship

Lyric

YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT

I offer you this proposition,
That if you call me, I will listen.
Tin can and string, waxed, stretched out taut,
or by copper wire; what God hath wrought!
Cell phone radiation through the air
To startle me napping in my chair.
You’ll hear no scratchy Muzak™ playing,
No cheery A.I. female saying,
“Your call’s important, stay on the line.”
I’ll pick up, promise, in four rings time.*
I’ll hang upon to your every word
Profound, flippant, mundane, absurd,
Your goings on, your hopes, your fears,
I’ll hear you with uncritical ears.

* Contingent on my being able to find my phone.

About this poem

It's for the person you don't want to put on hold.

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Written on April 02, 2023

Submitted by pugpubco on December 19, 2023

: 36 sec read
: 43 Views

Quick analysis:

Scheme	X AABBCCDDXXEEFF X
Closest metre	Iambic pentameter
Characters	621
Words	122
Stanzas	3
Stanza Lengths	1, 14, 1

Full analysis for YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT »

Michael O'Donnell

Born under a bad sign, now avoiding "retirement communities." more…

All Michael O'Donnell poems | Michael O'Donnell Books

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Jewoo525
In a world of automated answering machines, I feel this poem captures the timely frustrations of a person seeking out some real connection or communication. Phones and calls are supposed to be tools to connect us, yet; it seems there are more barriers to controlling and limiting it than there are methods to aid it. From tin cans and wire to cell towers, to AI. I loved the almost chronological progression of communication technology the author adds to demonstrate the timeless elements of these problems, in contrast to, perhaps, how timeless their attention and care for the other person also is.

The final line, the ending, on top of being incredibly relatable to the very problems I just described adds a bit of humourous irony to the whole situation. I loved this poem and had to re-read it a few times to appreciate the full depth of it- I just wish others could have appreciated it and recognized it as well. Great poem. Keep writing! more »
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"YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/178217/your-call-is-important>.

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