Bells

I heard the telephone
Ring in the Charlotte terminal C

Not the mechanical (digital) chimes
That adorns our new technology

But the sound of bells
The knocker clanging
Against its bronze body (partner)

A push button phone
Square and blocky
Its twisted cord
Clinging tightly the receiver

Maybe budget cuts
Have maintained this relic

All of those bells silenced
By the personal signature
“when the saints go marching in”
Or “la vita loca”

But what of all
Of those angels
Who will never
Receive their wings?

Maybe they fly coach instead.

Charlotte International Airport
Gate C16 flight to Savannah
3:52 pm
7 July 2008