i have one friend who calls me,
out of the blue, no warning. and some people say
'could this have been a text'
but no, it couldn't have, i needed to hear
the catch in your voice when you say
'i'm sorry for calling but i'm
so fucking tired'
and you needed to hear the way
my voice strives for gentleness as i tell you
'i'm sorry lovely, i know shit's tough
right now' and it's always tough, you have
two kids and a job and your dog is dying but
it won't always be like this. you'll call instead at
three pm on a Thursday,
so you can say 'me and the toddler are at
the park by the swings and did you want
to come and meet us?' and i
will always say yes.
i hope that i will always be there to
answer the phone.
i hope that you never stop calling me
when you're driving home and you need to cry
because you don't want to do bathtime with
your five year old while you're crying.
i hope that you call me to tell me about
the conversation you had with your husband, and how
much you love him, and to say 'what
are you doing tomorrow, do you have time to
come over while my daughter is napping? it feels
like it's been a while.'