A CALL ACROSS THE MILES

 

A Call Across the Miles

The airport hums with the murmur of travelers,

A symphony of footsteps and rolling suitcases.

I stand before the payphone, a relic in this digital age,

Its metal cold against my palm, a lifeline to you.  

Quarters clink into the slot, each one a bet,

A gamble on connection across the miles.

I hold my breath as the line rings,

Each tone a spin of the wheel,

Anticipation tightening like a knot in my chest.

And then, your voice—“Hello?”—

A jackpot of warmth in a single word.

It washes over me like a wave,

Filling the hollow spaces inside,

A balm for the ache of absence.  

I want nothing more than this:

To hear the softness in your greeting,

To let it wrap around me like a familiar embrace.

But there’s more I wish to share—

The miles of black-sand beaches stretching beneath my feet,

Grains like onyx, cool and shifting underfoot.

The Pacific unfurls before me, a canvas of endless blues,

And the sunrise ignites it with fire,

Painting the horizon in hues of gold and crimson.  

The air is crisp with salt and promise,

Seagulls cry their morning songs,

Waves whisper secrets to the shore.

I close my eyes and breathe it in,

Wishing I could bottle this moment,

Send it to you in a whisper,

So you could taste the dawn as I do.  

I speak of the sea, the sand, the light,

Hoping my words are vivid enough

To paint the scene in your mind’s eye,

To draw you closer, if only in thought.

I imagine you there, on the other end,

Eyes closed, conjuring the crash of waves,

The scent of brine on the breeze,

The warmth of the sun as it breaks the night.  

Yet, as I speak, I feel the miles between us,

A chasm that words can only bridge so far.

The payphone cord twists in my hand,

A tether to you, but also a reminder

Of the distance we cannot escape.

Still, in your laughter, in your questions,

I find a closeness that defies the map,

A reminder that home is not a place,

But the sound of your voice, wherever I am.  

When the call ends, the line goes silent,

And I am left with the echo of your goodbye.

The airport buzzes on, indifferent,

But I carry the warmth of your hello with me,

A small flame against the chill of separation.

I step back into the world,

The black-sand beaches and the Pacific sunrise

Etched into my memory,