The Country Lady and the Phone

This morning
As I was getting out of the tub,
I thought I heard the phone ring
thought I felt the jingle infuse me
like a shaft of audible light

Till I realized
that the phone had not rung in years –
not since my daughter ran off
with one of the Gloryland Gospel Group

But fool and believer that I am
and shivering like a fat old catfish,
I ran down the hall and grabbed the receiver,
pulled it to my ear like newborn life
and cradled it there,
waiting for a voice

All the rest of the nameless afternoon,
I sat on the porch
wondering who on earth
might have called

In the evening,
I watched the moon,
the barest, icy thumbprint,
closed my eyes
and heard a breeze
creep through the trees
And I listened
and listened.