Author of five books of poetry and the recipient of an NEA fellowship, Jeffrey McDaniel teaches at Sarah Lawrence College. His poems have appeared widely in journals and anthologies, and sometimes, he performs them live. You can watch another one here. But for my quiet, quiet week, here's this one:
The Quiet World
by Jeffrey McDaniel
In an effort to get people to look
into each other’s eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.
When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.
Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.
When she doesn’t respond,
I know she’s used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.
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