On Hold
A poem by Jacqueline Jules

On Hold

Thank you for your patience.
All agents are assisting others.

The recorded voice promises
my call will be answered
if I continue to stay on the line.

In the meantime, I could listen
to the music or clip my toenails.

Maybe I should wash my underwear.

After all, the phone is portable.
I can carry it through the house
or even outside to the garden
where I could weed while I wait.

Thank you for your patience.
All agents are assisting others.

I could leave a message. Let
customer service call me back.
But nothing takes my question
out of the queue or gives me
what I need to hang on
at this moment in my life
when all available agents
are assisting other customers.

About the Author:

Jacqueline Jules is the author of Manna in the Morning (Kelsay Books, 2021), Itzhak Perlman’s Broken String, winner of the 2016 Helen Kay Chapbook Prize from Evening Street Press, and Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember (Bushel & Peck, 2023). Her poetry has appeared in over 100 publications. Visit  www.jacquelinejules.com

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