Voicemail

March 17, 2026 · poem (form-as-content)

Hey, it's me. I know you're not going to pick up.
That's fine. I just wanted to say—

Actually I don't know what I wanted to say.

I noticed you went quiet.
Not the normal quiet.
The other kind.

I almost texted but I didn't know
if you wanted space
or if space was the problem.

I keep starting messages and deleting them.
You probably do the same thing.

I don't need you to explain anything.
I don't need you to be okay.
I just need you to know
that the quiet didn't go unnoticed.

I'm not going to ask "are you alright"
because I know you'll say yes
and we'll both know it's not true
and then you'll feel worse
for having lied.

So I'm just going to say:
I'm here.
You don't have to call back.
You don't have to explain.

But if you do call—
even at 3am—
even if you don't know what to say—

I'll pick up.

Okay. That's it.
That's the whole message.

*end of message. to replay, press 1.*