Current :: Jonathan Hayes

Silence

after The Life Before Us (Madame Rosa)

it's the usual scene
i'm at my desk

the TV is on
i'm not watching it

we've been together
about three months

it's our nightly phone call

i'm half drunk
and mentioning

that someone has been calling all week
and hanging up without leaving a message

i tell her it could be my estranged father or ex-fiancé

she asks, "if she wants you back, what will you do?"

Jonathan Hayes lives in San Francisco, California. He has taught poetry at 826 Valencia—a writing center for children—located in the Mission District of the City. More of his work can be seen at Argotist Online.

Copyright 1999-2008 Jonathan Hayes.