This is such an unusual poem. I can't..like word a super long comment. It's so sad. The feeling of longing, and sort of a small hint of desperation is gut-wrenching. This win was absolutely well-deserved.

Congratulations.

When I first read this, I was totally enticed by the style. The dialogue and what the speaker is saying in between the conversation makes the poem alive and has this touch of drama/cinema.

I honestly do not understand some of the ideas/terms in the dialogue even though I read it thrice haha..

I can just think that this is about loneliness and the separation of family, from what's outside the conversation like:

I remember those days.
Back when we had a family to sit down.
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Mine has become so empty.

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Totally deserved win, imo! I love it.

The dialogue in here is incredible Larry! I am left speechless because of this whole scene I not only am reading, but am living before my eyes....never in a million years would I have pictured or felt for the person who is the caller.....I mean you make it so personal and really get in my heart that longing. It makes me want to be with my family now, and have this ability to be together whether eating or just in each other's presence. The meaning in this simple tableside conversation and the woman/man overhearing it is so powerful. You give me insight into a side of someone I may never have thought about before. Congratulations on the win- really moving!!!

I will firstly admit that I'm not a great lover of poems that are totally written in dialect but, I read this one through simply because I can relate to it...they always call when you're either sitting down to dinner or about to dish it up and...they will not take your polite excuse as a reason for ending the call so....now I have a private number haha!!!

I never thought that the may be lonely so..you have put a slightly different spin on that....I do know they have a list of questions/suggestions they should ask and...depending on how polite you are..generally they get close to the bottom and...our dinner gets cold. I will admit, on occasion, I have asked them to hold on for a sec and just leave the phone on the bench until they get fed up...never thought they may be joining into my dinner party though!

Although you have this listed as a sad poem...I actually smiled as I read it...

[Weekly Contest Comment: 3/11/13]

I can't possibly convey how much I enjoyed reading this poem but also reflecting on the significance it portrayed, which touched my mind and heart. I can hear, see, smell, taste, feel everything in this piece! I loved the warmness of the family conversation and then the dialect between the caller and the family members...the way the poet wrote in the perspective of the phone caller is phenomenal and something that hit me to the core when I got to the end. Personally, if my parents aren't home I have been taught not to answer the phone unless caller id tells me it's someone I know....but if it's a celesister, I never pick up. Sometimes my family will though and it will always be really short, with a "I'm not interested." then a hang-up. I think whether it's that or a survey or campaign, we get annoyed then maybe laugh it off. There's always this want to get off the phone and it's easy to believe there's not a real person on the other side. It may be annoying to get interrupted but this is their job to ask if one is interested.

I never would have guessed that the caller would have this nostalgia. It breaks my heart because it highlights that need we all have to be loved. And this person wants fellowship, whatever happened in their home has left the table physically empty but has left their heart feeling more hollow than before. This touched me numerous times....and it reminded me of someone homeless or poor looking in on a window of a brightly lit home where a family is celebrating. This phone call, and being able to listen and hear the joy of the family, is something the caller may not forget. The poet is immeasurably original here in a way I admire him for. Incredible thoughts here, I enjoyed this piece so much and it makes me want to cherish the times I spend with my family, even if it may be in trivial things, there is a realness to it when we are all together!