Dreamy Poet

Poetry by Kavya Janani. U
Landline – Freeverse

Landline – Freeverse

Adorned in a shade of pastel orange,⠀
with black coils and black numbers,⠀
the landline telephone was the most⠀
enchanting device in my home.⠀
Connected friends,⠀
disconnected toxicity.⠀
Catalyst in the magic called love.⠀
Metaphor of friendship.⠀
Now, a portal to nostalgia.⠀

I caress the telephone’s spine,⠀
and it tells me the stories⠀
that it has treasured along the way.⠀
The days when grandma called⠀
the gossipmonger to recollect the⠀
latest episode of a sloppy soap opera.
When grandpa picked up each and⠀
every call, as he was always meddling⠀
With items nearby the phone.⠀
When Ma sat near the window,⠀
awaiting dad’s call from Nairobi.⠀
When my little cousin dialed⠀
emergency numbers while playing.⠀

The telephone found its twin⠀
in the cordless phone and ⠀
that’s when my shenanigans began.⠀
The days when the recorded voice⠀
boomed the name of my⠀
irritant classmate, who always⠀
questioned about prime numbers.⠀
When I called up my crush⠀
to wish him a happy birthday,⠀
and ask him whether he liked me,⠀
to which he told he’d tell me later,⠀
and which actually meant a fat no.⠀
The memories of my trembling hands,⠀
when I sneaked out with the cordless⠀
and spoke to my adolescent boyfriend.⠀
The bliss of looking at eight digits⠀
on the rows of yellow pages.⠀

If stories of 90s nostalgia ⠀
should be compiled as a book,⠀
then every scene would have⠀
something to do with the landline.

©Kavya Janani. U


If you are in love with my poems, please consider purchasing a copy of my poetry collection – La Douleur Exquise.

You can check out my other freeverse poems here: Freeverse Poems by Kavya Janani. U

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Dreamy Poet