The call always
in the orbit of that hour
as a breath before speech,
a cleared throat.
Count the minutes
on the half-clock—
does the agent on the line
summon codebooks,
send new letters each day,
Ouija of the wire?
The relay snaps its teeth.
Let’s not answer this time.
We know your spectral
ticks, our breezy Hello
ghost an earnest of
our ease with our unease.
Published in Cider Press Review, Volume 28, Issue 4.
Matthew Griffiths is an editor and educator based in Oxford, UK. His second collection is set to be published by Red Squirrel Press in spring 2027.
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