The Operator
By Joan McNerney
With such a pleasant voice so sincere
and trusting (a female of course).
She was automated and kept on kept on kept on
apologizing how she did not get it right.
Mangling my unfortunate last name
'til finally it became mammary. I am
not an udder breast person. It's bad enough
being Irish! Was she hinting I was mammal
as in whale? She sounded so thin.
Her call back was also unreasonable.
What was wrong with my Yes?
After four times, I considered disconnecting
my phone. Finally I pressed the right button
and our conversation abruptly ended.
Joan McNerney's poetry appeared at vox poetica in 2009 and 2010. Her most recent poem, 6 o'clock, was published in April.
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