POETRY : Father - 1:15PM - Missed Call / Kai Sugioka-Stone
We had the distinct pleasure of having Kai Sugioka-Stone read at The Racket Reading Series : THE VOID. His selection of poetry was incredible across the board but this piece–Father - 1:15PM - Missed Call–absolutely floored us. In it, Kai speaks with his father, the poem echoing the skips and jumps of communication across the telephone wire, and through it we see the disconnect the pandemic has placed between us as humans as well as the disconnect between father and son.
Kai did us the great favor of recording it. You should give it a listen.
Father - 1:15PM - Missed Call
by Kai Sugioka-Stone
*beep*
Hey, son
this is Rich, hey
give me a call or text me back
I just wanted to check what’s goin… *sigh*
see how everything’s going,
you know,
you know,
I’m just here at work at the post office
the number of packages,
I’m telling you, it never lets up now
everyday’s like christmas, ‘cause everyone’s ordering everything in quarantine now
I wonder what christmas, is gonna be like-
--hey!
Hey Kai, how’s it going?
yeah, well I just wanted to see how you’ve been doing
i’m just on my ten minute break
I hope you can see me clearly through the narrow landline,
and wanted to see if-but you know-you know I’ve
got a tight schedule ‘cause the new management here is
eating salt and imperialism for breakfast and-
Oh? Oh yeah, I’m wearing an N-95
my cpap machine hasn’t been working the best, lately
No fists I had to break up, today
my breathing problems have nothing to do with the, warehouse’s san francisco ventilation
Our department’s few COVID cases have managed to hit (and miss) the angels
but I can’t talk too long, see, they’re really tight on us
and amazon sends its packages to us for delivery, but-
-huh? Oh, yeah!
I wish I could’ve made it to that event to hear you read.
I had to work today.
Well,
this call’s twenty-three minutes long
but I should probably get back to work.
I love you too, son
take care,
talk to you soon
Kai Sugioka-Stone is a writer living in the Bay Area,
