"Long Time No Speak..."

“Was it really only last Tuesday
when you phoned? It seems
much longer ago than that.

I so look forward to your call;
lonely as it becomes; no one
to talk to...with your mother gone.
God rest her soul.”

Off he goes again like a well-worn LP;
you tell him to find a hobby - that life
goes on. You feel sorry for him,
but enough is enough.

So you lie through your teeth. Say,
“Got to go, Dad; someone’s at the door.
Must dash. Catch you soon...as ever,
as always. You take care now.
Oh, and everyone sends their love.”

And after, there’s that deathly hush...
sends your senses into overdrive;
bores holes in your eardrums.

Everything’s amplified; you can even
hear the hum from the freezer
in the basement. Something you’d
never realised before...

And the clock outside in the hall,
did it always tick this loudly?

A mouse scratches in the wainscot –
the cat breathes heavy in its sleep;
a floorboard creaks...

The kids, home from school, descend
like a pack of hungry wolves; silence
beats a hasty retreat.

You ought to do a redial – check
he’s OK. Not right now, of course;
too much on. But you will...
same time next week.