Silence
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-fiancée
she asks, “if she wants you back, what will you do?”
Jonathan Hayes lives in Oakland, California with his wife and their cat.


