Ty Randall Writing - Poetry Page
Phone Message
Mother got a new answering machine.
Not being great with technology,
she asked me to record the message.
I gladly identified her and Pop,
thanked the caller for dialing,
then added a pleasant daily reminder.
"And
don't forget to floss,"
I supplemented at the end.
For some reason it cracked mother up
more than I think it should have.
She couldn't stop laughing.
Elated tears flowed down globular cheeks
once again reminding her
of my astoundingly spontaneous wit.
I didn't mean to be so funny.
I usually never do.
I think she just missed me.
Perhaps she was thinking of the reaction
when some of her friends would call
or God forbid, her Dentist.
When the tears finally stopped
and she thanked me for the laugh
she asked me to record a better message.
I told her it doesn't get any better,
normal and not clever maybe,
but it will never be the same.
All these years later
I hope she doesn't regret
that I took her laugh away.