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