The Unknown Friend by Avrel F.

---

 

The yellow telephone sits on the table

Its jarring ring reminds me I should dial the number

That is neatly taped on the bulletin board

Its edges clean and flat

As if it has never been touched

It hasn’t

With each day it becomes even more inconceivable

To call a number that promises disappointment

My long silence serves no purpose besides

Saving myself from the embarrassment

Of “ you said you would call” and “oh I forgot”

But did I just forget?

Because anger wells up inside me whenever I hear your name

The way my trust was stretched like a rope

But it finally frayed

Your forceful apologies are produced in factories

Practiced, unoriginal and constantly coming

I pick up the phone to tell you my thoughts

But the dial tone singing reminds me

That I am worth more than this

You tried to fill me with empty sincerity

You desperately need others’ empathy

But selfishness crowds up the part of your heart

That is meant for kindness

You don’t understand my distance

But no number sitting on the bulletin board will fix that

I said I would call but I didn’t

So the yellow telephone sits on the table

And I am okay with that