I dial the tainted numbers
While the moon sags in the sky
“Hi” says a sultry voice
Tattooed with seduction
“What can I do for you honey.”
I breathe in the silent room.
“I have a question,” I tell her
And the world is hushed
Waiting to hear
“Do you ever dream?”
She breaks into a rehearsed laugh
“Of what, Stud”
"No," I say, "No.
Do you dream of broken hearts?
A million broken hearts
And then in the piles -
A beating one, fully intact
Glowing with love -
Untainted"
She almost hangs up
I sense it in her breaths
"Who is this," she questions
Not with fear, but with curiosity,
Her husky voice fading from her words
Like cheap perfume.
"I don't know," I admit
And it is no longer hard to do so
"But I would like an answer."
The headlights of a car sweep across the wall
"Umm," she murmurs like a child,
"I've only been in love once, and it sucked.
My friends, they say the same.
There's probably someone out there who's found an everlasting love,
But it's not me
And that's ok."
A door opens in the foyer downstairs
I trace the bed frame in the dark
"Thank you," I say
And turn off the phone.