The Phone's Ringing

The sound of my mother's voice means death
the unexpected ring in the early evening
for that is the only time she calls
death can wait

I wonder who it is this time
the most likely candidates
the aunts and uncles
are starting to wear thin

Then there's the distant unexpected
the second cousin of a forgotten in-law
that I'm pretty sure I didn't meet
the time we went to that reunion at the park by the levee

And then there are those we fear the most
brothers or sisters
nieces or nephews
or simply the voice of my father on the other end