Ode to Being Placed on Hold

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phone

 

Ode to Being Placed on Hold

The music rarely
entertains,
but I find
peace between
the notes,
sometimes,
and embrace
the notion that
I’ve been inserted
in that peculiar
capsule between
speech and the
void, imagining
myself somewhere,
floating, free
of care and
gravity,
beer can
satellites
orbiting my head,
with bites of
pungent cheeses
and baguette
circling in
their wake,
a gift, you see,
like rain in
August or
a warm voice
saying hello.

“Ode to Being Placed on Hold” was my 23rd offering of the Tupelo Press 30-30 marathon in August 2015. Many thanks to Mary “marso” of the blog “marsowords” who sponsored and provided the title.

cheese

63 thoughts on “Ode to Being Placed on Hold”

  3. Pungent cheese… Can make me bleu. Seriously Robert, I loved this poem. At one time or another we have all found ourselves in that que called hold. It saddens me to know the music from my youth is now playing without words. Where have the years gone while I was waiting on hold?

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  7. I had the dubious distinction of falling asleep once during hold to be rudely awakened by an irritating “Hello, are you still there” in my ear. Before I came out of my nap, the line went dead.

    Nice poem.

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  8. I liked this the first time I read it (in August), and now, in March, why do I like it even more? So it is with reading—what we bring to it, what it brings to us, depending on season, time or day, body and brain chemistry?

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  9. It was a pleasure to follow along as you responded daily to titles submitted by readers . Interesting to imagine how your response to each prompt could vary widely depending (as I said above) to so many factors—the rainstorm outside or your cup of coffee.

    May inspiration be always on the line with you . . . whether you are taking hold of your writing or your writing is putting you on momentary hold.

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  10. I like this, Robert, as one who has gone through what has sometimes seemed like miles of waiting in traffic on a “super highway” where everyone is stalled. I’m reminded of being on hold once and having to listen to Johnny Cash singing “Ring of Fire” over and over and over again (The ring of fire . . .”) until I thought I’d lose my mind if it kept on, which it did until someone finally rescued me by answering the phone. 🙂

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  12. You must be extremely good-tempered, to let your mind wander to the comforts of beers and cheeses. I recall only frustration as the music goes “Walking on Sunshine…” endlessly, while I sat in the boring, musty air-conditioned office, waiting…

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