four thirty on rotary dial phone

Ceramic phone grows as stale on my ear

As the conversation I wish I weren't having

I will be there at four thirty

In a pool of memories gathering in the squares

Of my desk calendar,

The tasked utensil swirls 

Until they are finely organized bullets 

In an empirical list,

And finds itself involuntarily

Scribbling concentric circles

In the varying shades of managed moments

It stops once there is a voice from my mouth 

That barely sounds like mine

As if remotely controlled

I mustn't stop myself from orchestrating this battle

One or two dead ideas and some wounded

It seems there are still little skirmishes 

On the outer perimeters...

This one I’m having presently

Will have some major loss

Involved in what I meant to leave behind

Smaller armies have yet to surrender

So still am I

The concave earpiece is sweaty and warm

I have gripped the avocado green handle 

Until my knuckles arthritis ache

I seem to have misplaced the many memories

That never made it to the blocks of my desk calendar

And I am regretting each fallen one

That escapes my recall

The dates are getting confused

And it is critical that they do not

Yes

Yes, of course

I will be there to sign the papers

I can be there by four thirty

Reviews

[kublakhan27]

Your poems are like puzzles assembled with such intricate perfection that the outlines of the locked-in pieces are invisible...your imagery is like a fireworks display, igniting the imaginations and the emotions therein on contact...the first couplet sets the table with impeccable precision, not a single piece of silverware out of place...in situations as painful as this, it does indeed feel as though we're speaking in the voice of some other person...if only it was some other person...I am awestruck by the painful beauty of your narrative evocations...not a word or feeling is out of place...the journey is a sad one and it is impossible to get lost along the way...your seamless mix of imagery and emotion guide the reader precisely where they need to go...the more of your poetry I read, the more I find myself looking up to you and your immeasurable talent...what more can I say, this is poetry at its best.

[paul sal.....]

divorce after many years of life etched into our mind, as always, I feel like i am watching an excelent segment of an excelent movie when watching your painted words

[Bright Ocean Star]

Xavier, your poetry is but a small peek through the window of your world. Your hands grip the avocado telephone, concave earpiece, great imagery, very descriptive, very emotive. Schedules, desk calanders, you've time dated this one back a few years. It is always a pleasure to read your work. Thanks again. This one screams stress-filled, lawyer-induced divorce papers. I may be wrong, but you orchestrated the emotion in this one, corralling the ponies all up to one side, and then you opened the gate and let them run. Great writing.

[Rita L. Sev]

An era at an end, that phone once so charming now an awkward reminder. It is in our nature to assign meaning to items; that phone, that desk, that calendar, will never be the same after those papers are signed... Excellent poetry, Xavier.

[Sami Khalil]

"I mustn't stop myself from orchestrating this battle
One or two dead ideas and some wounded

It seems there are still little skirmishes
On the outer perimeters..."

A masterful write. Splendid as usual...:).............

[Alfred Kukitz]

Exhausting phone conversation in an atmosphere of modernity.

[Gypsy Warrior Queen]

my skin tingles and crawls as I read your lines in thought. I think I may have broken out into a cold sweat had you added dotted lines. My head pounds and my heart aches and I feel transported, like you into memories I have misplaced. Life can be happy can't it...aren't the times without struggle reward....are there times without struggle I know they are there somewhere between then, now, and forever. I don't wanna slip. I'll remember the next time I pray.....I'll remember not to x the days as if they are dead...forgotten. I'll draw ships and flowers and clouds and crazy doodles...anything to remember strength,preservation,....salvation

[Frieda P]

You sound so depleted, I think I've seen those papers before, even signed them, I don't blame you for wanting to forget...the blasé rotary phone was a nice touch. :)

[Lyn Anderson]

Obviously not good papers, whatever they are. A great write, btw, love the avocado green phone, though my kids have neither seen a rotary dial nor avocado green phones in real life. :)