Just Pick Up the Phone

It is now July and I went into a card shop.

July had always been a big month for birthdays.

My mother was born July 11^th and my husband’s

grandmother Thelma’s was July 13. My father and

daughter share a birthday, July 24^th. My habit is

to take a walk or bike in the afternoon so I walked

south on Broadway and found a shop selling cards.

Looking over all the humorous and sometimes erotic

ones, I didn’t think they were quite right. Then there

are the earnest ones that don’t seem to work either.

I just need something which says I love you. I miss you.

I wish you were here. I wish things could stay the same.

Always.

But most of my July birthdays are gone, and though my

daughter lives quite close we don’t see each other as

much as we used to. Her two jobs keep her busy.

So I left empty-handed and walked home, dreaming

that maybe I would just pick up the phone and give

them a call.

in memory of Fred Burkhart, would have been 74 on June 23rd

avocado green wall phone, we used to have one in the kitchen