KIN’s poem of the week comes from Kāpiti’s poet laureate Gill Ward.
‘The telephone’

ignores body language
does not glimpse the fleeting,
understanding smile
nor a still tear
the telephone is not fluent
in conveying emotion
without features
it does not show
the hand on the brow
hear the sharp, imperceptible
intake of breathe
the small sad gasp
it makes no attempt to
sort out the words
and place them with
the correct gestures.
The telephone is inept
at interpreting
the nuances of pauses
and line breaks.
The telephone,
that Tin Man,
has no heart
Goodness me Alan!! Poet Laureate that’s a bit much. Thanks for the vote of confidence though!