I had one of the first--a clunky chunk of modernity in my 1984 Beamer,
no speed dial, no contact book, and Bluetooth was as far away as the moon
but boy I was cool yapping while cruising down the PA Turnpike, my Lab on the seat beside me, eagerly eavesdropping and slobbering in equal measure
he got to witness the end, the news delivered over the airways: she was dumping me because I was too needy
too many flowers, too many calls and unannounced visits; affection morphed into the smothering mother it was
I exited the pike with the news lumped in my throat, looking for a place to hide
a roadside stop with a view of farmed fields--the sun too bright
I dialed her number at least thrice, but never completed the call; the connection would have been dead or dying anyway
in the distance, I saw their carriages: a procession with the clopping hooves of obedient beasts, the laughter of children, and monogamous men and women who didn't know the meaning of "co-dependency," "neediness," or "smothering"
and eyes that would have stared in disbelief if they saw the ****** cell phone