give me a minute
Shruti Shah
as the night fell silent the phone rang
sweetly calling my name
i imagined picking it up and hearing her soft melodious voice
but the full moon looked me in the eye as it called upon the sun
i’ll call her back in a minute or two
days passed and the phone rang again
my head heavy with guilt and exhaustion
i let the ringing disappear into the darkness once again
i needed a minute to decompress
it rang again with urgency
she never called more than once
the voice that answered sent chills down my spine
it was harsh and made me lose my breath
the voice I loved and craved had left
to sing to the ears of another up above
Shruti Shah expects to graduate in 2024 with a degree in genetics. Her hometown is East Brunswick. Shruti writes, “I took creative writing fall semester of my junior year with Professor Haber. Creative writing was a great way to relieve stress. I ended up learning a lot more about myself and the type of writing I enjoy.”
Professor Haber selected Shruti’s poem for inclusion in WHR.