Face Time
by John Paul Davis
The teenagers pick
up when we call
then have nothing to say,
answer our questions
with monosyllables
or inscrutable jokes
yet every time
we move to end
the conversation
they prolong
things. Almost
as if they want
the connection
but don’t know how
to keep it living
yet. I suppose
that’s one more skill
they’re learning
from us, so each call
we recite the liturgy
how’s school, fine,
how’s band, it’s okay,
how’s work, good,
what’d you do this weekend,
video games,
& just like prayers
in church it’s not what
you say or if the message
gets through, it’s the saying
itself, the rhythm
of it, the song
underneath, the gateway
a conversation creates,
what is unlocked,
what is left in the open,
what grows with waiting.
up when we call
then have nothing to say,
answer our questions
with monosyllables
or inscrutable jokes
yet every time
we move to end
the conversation
they prolong
things. Almost
as if they want
the connection
but don’t know how
to keep it living
yet. I suppose
that’s one more skill
they’re learning
from us, so each call
we recite the liturgy
how’s school, fine,
how’s band, it’s okay,
how’s work, good,
what’d you do this weekend,
video games,
& just like prayers
in church it’s not what
you say or if the message
gets through, it’s the saying
itself, the rhythm
of it, the song
underneath, the gateway
a conversation creates,
what is unlocked,
what is left in the open,
what grows with waiting.
John Paul Davis is the author of Climbing A Burning Rope (University of Pittsburgh, 2024) and Crown Prince Of Rabbits (Great Weather For Media, 2017). His poems have appeared in numerous journals including RATTLE, Bennington Review, Spiritus, Maine Review, and others. You can find out more about him at www.johnpauldavis.org or find out too much about him at @johnpauldavis.bsky.social