smultron
in an effort to get people to look
into each other’s eyes more,
the government has decided to
allow each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.
when the phone rings,
i put it to my ear without saying hello.
in the restaurant i point at chicken noodle soup.
i am adjusting well to the new way.
late at night, i call my long- distance lover
and proudly say: i only used fifty-nine today.
i saved the rest for you. when she doesn’t respond,
i know she’s used up all her words,
so i slowly whisper i love you,
thirty-two and a third times. after that,
we just sit on the line and listen to each other breathe.
- The quiet world av Jeffrey McDaniel
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