telephone.

"hang on," she said, unsure of what she meant by

"hang on" because she did not want to tell a lie

to say "i will return" was a guarantee

she was not ready to make, so

"hang on" silence on the other end

long distance communication was always hard

telephone calls never served them right

the coils that connected their ears

same circumference but different location

one after another

dependent on each other

the coils that connected their ears

always plural and bound together

no beginning or ending

they "hang on"

she took a walk around the room

looked at the dust on the windowsill

the wastewater dropping down from the neighbor's air conditioner

she paused

grabbed the muscle-fat layers on her neck

and pulled until it hurt a good hurt

looked at the telephone murmuring

still "hang on"

still unsure of what she meant

and continued the make-believe pause

because time waited impatiently and was beginning to walk

"hang on" (she spoke it with a sigh)

"hang on" traveled weakly through an exhaling breath

through the coils that connected their ears

through the long distance phone call placed on pause

"hang on" without its beginning or its end

was caught somewhere in rough transport

was never delivered

was simply "ha..." or "gon..."

was silence on the other end

not "i will return" because she will not return

because "hang on" meant she will try to return

but no promise there

(though it might be nice)

(though it might be false)

so

"hang on," she said.