10 year radio

by joel abel - Taurus

after ten years he found her 

she was moving 
through the static 
of a late night 
a.m. radio 
dialed to a dead 
channel. 

he sat up in bed 
and called her name 

laura! 

he strained 
himself towards 
the voice,
following it in and out
of static

he thought she said: 
i love you 
or maybe it was: 
why are you waiting? 

he knew she was there, 
listening-

he could feel her eyes
blinking in the slow rhythm 
of the stoplights outside his window, 
her breath following the soft 
cadence of the freeway around 
the corner. 

he struggled to explain himself,
his actions and thoughts
from 10 years ago

but his words turned
into white noise-
the test pattern dialoge
that had been rewound 1000 times
the tape edges frayed and unintelligible

but still, she sat with him
long after the failed 
explinations had died
and his grief bled into exhaustion.

in the morning the sun rose
and the static faded into
a crackling a.m. country station.
and in this red morning he
drifted into sleep

and into a dream
10 years long.
Birth sign: Taurus
Date created: 2005-03-11 18:47:40
Last updated: 2021-03-03 14:46:48
Poem ID: 70680

You need to log in to edit this poem if it is yours.

View more poems by joel abel.