It takes a toll
My words.
They come out cracked and tinny,
artifacts of the exchange between the distant relays of my alternate reality&
yours
My phone bill is going to be outrageous.
I am placing this call from a place that doesn’t exist for you
My husband is dead here.
(It’s the only difference I can find.)
I’ve acclimated, some. Assimilated, but
I don’t speak our language anymore.
We never had a word for this.
The closest ones I can find here, too heavy,
too precious
are improbable to collect.
4 thoughts on "It takes a toll"
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Oh, I love how you jump from acclimated to assimilated in the ninth line! It works so well!
I appreciate the metaphor. I get “assimilated.”
the title is great
the speed our language changes
these days
….beyond me
Wow. I love the idea of two people talking from two different places not just physically but emotionally. Very nice.