There’s a man in the philosophy aisle of the bookstore
leaning against the shelves, thumbing through various
philosophy books, reading to himself, and animatedly
laughing aloud. I don’t want to confront him about it.
I call my boss’s cell phone and I can tell that he’s at
a high-profile tennis match by the way he answers,
saying, in a near whisper, “Call you back in a bit.”
Behind the front desk, there is a collage of notes
my coworkers have stuck there at over the years.
I just noticed a new one. It has a phone number
and then reads, “Ray had a kung fu book stolen.”
Scott Silsbe was born in Detroit. He now lives in Pittsburgh. His poems have appeared many places including Chiron Review, Nerve Cowboy, and the Cultural Weekly. He is the author of two poetry collections: Unattended Fire (Six Gallery Press, 2012) and The River Underneath the City (Low Ghost Press, 2013).
Your One Phone Call 