How to Answer the Ringing of the Cordless Phone

To answer the ringing of the cordless phone

Is like having a bumble bee stuck in your hair.

When the phone rings with a Brrrinngg,

You first need to find the receiver.

Once located, press talk,

Hold the handset to your ear,

And with a cheery “Hello!”, greet the caller.

After your time together,

Bid your farewells and press end.

Maybe you’d prefer not to answer at all?

Let the call go to the answering machine,

Like a baseball umpire,

The machine never misses a call.

                The idea for the poem “How to Answer the Ringing of the Cordless Phone” came from a request for a poem giving instructions on a task. The cordless phone is a big part of my life that connects me to the outside world. I am an expert phone talker so felt I could help with instructions on how to answer the phone. I used similes (examples: “like a bumble bee stuck in your hair”, and “like a baseball umpire”). I also used onomatopoeia (example: “Bbrrrinngg”, the sound the phone makes.) The image of the phone is universal for communication. The answering machine is representative of having the option to take time out of life if you need to. The perspective is that the phone can bring people together across distances to join hearts and minds across the miles.