You there?
The question uttered more than once,
no reply to ease the mounting sense of panic,
hot line counselor
having had to ask this phrase
so often while on her watch.
Each caller always on death’s brink,
depression, self-hate so clear in their voices,
how she tried to help them
find some frail rope of hope to keep on living.
Listening to every word,
pouring out her love and concern,
fearing that moment of quiet
when she knew the person
had given into their fatal urges
despite anything she said.
It devastated her to lose that battle,
last time was the worse,
getting distracted temporarily by thinking of vacation,
not paying attention to that warning tone enough,
hearing the gun shot over the receiver
left her swimming in a river of guilt.
Now lifting up the receiver at home,
dialing that hot line number,
hand holding a bottle of sleeping pills,
mind a churning kettle of emotions
on the edge of leaping into eternity’s chasm
unless that voice on the other end
can work a miracle in her head,
which will end the pain over her failure.
Author notes
prompt: silent phone
A contest entry
- Write Out There. by November-Dani.
550 points, ended November 28, 2008, 10 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 5 of 5
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This is fantastic! I absolutly LOVE your take on the prompt. It is written so well and it conveys so much. I am in awe. Great work.
Dani. -
This is so true to life. The counselor pressures are vivid and those who hold life so gently in listening hands to guide fragile lives to accept challenges left in this world. The guilt missed emotions warnings is sad. It amplifies these peoples closeness and depression in their failure. The flow is intense as the reader is taken slowly through the hot line process to save distraught lives. Good luck with the contest
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impacting
holy moly, penfriend....almsot to close for comfort. although, I always foudn it made me stronger. I felt no guilt fr not being able to change their minds..and it, ocne or twice, helped me change my own to where I believed in life more.
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Powerful write. It reminds people of how important those hotlines are. If people aren't there to answer the phone and talk to people, it could mean deadly consequences. If people have a hotline for people to call, they should try to be there for people all the time. Thanks for sharing and best of luck in the contest.
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How do you think up these things! This is great and you used the prompt so well
Good luck in the contest 
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