Temple Relic

phone books on the porch
appeared again today
i used to save them for when
my dad would come to visit

what unwanted reminder
of bygone days
will bother my daughter
when she’s my age

when she is grown
with children of her own
a vibration in the head
connected to a chip in the hip

a buzz hushed by a button
when she’s visiting me somewhere
i’ll run that old gag
i told you never to call me here

© Eileen Ridge 2013