Sometimes they come over fast; sometimes they come over time. A lot of times I’ll call and someone will answer, a kid or something, and I don’t know who I’m talking to, so I am careful not to introduce myself too specifically, I’ll say “Do you know who this is?” or “This isn’t who you think it is, is it?” and then depending on the response either go on talking or hang up. Because how do you know what’s next? How can you even keep that phone in your hand with so much in the world that’s uncertain? Sometimes in the process of hanging up my knuckle will tap the keypad and generate a tone and then that tone will create something else, a melody let’s call it, and I’ll start singing, fitting words to that melody, and some of the first words are the names of other neighbors, like “the Mitchells and the Meekers / Spiritual seekers” or “Albert Santoro / Was in the war-o,” and those are the people I don’t call, why would you call them when they’ve been in a song so recently, but that also starts to point me toward who I should call next, and when I get a real clear fix on it I dial the next number and see who answers, hopefully not a kid, hopefully someone who can help. Sometimes they come over fast; sometimes they come over time. Sometimes they don’t come at all.
©2020 Ben Greenman/Stupid Ideas
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