I Miss Rotary Phones

I miss rotary phones

the kind where you put your finger in the hole of the dial

rotating it clockwise until it stopped

then releasing it to get a satisfying

click , click, click as it unwound

taking up to several seconds per number

 

The telephone rang

when someone wanted to talk to you

As kids we would all run to its ring

eager to be the one to pick up the receiver

with a breathless “Hello?”

(Double excitement for long distance)

 

Now people don’t want to talk so much on the phone

They prefer to text and share- everything

My phone now is a small rectangle with a touchscreen that glows 

It is called “smart” maybe for its ability

to distract and beg for your attention

 worse than my Golden Retriever

 

My rotary phone just sat there and left me alone

unless someone wanted to talk to me

So I gave my smartphone a lobotomy

tired of the intrusion into my life

Bye bye Facebook, bye bye Instagram, bye this, bye that…

Now it’s pretty much a phone- kinda smart

But not too smart

 

I still miss rotary phones

and their satisfying click, click, clicks

But they are gone now

Like the many other dinosaurs of my life

Lost in time

But not from my memory

Photos by Pixabay & by the author

As also seen on byalannapass.com

 

Tags: poem, Poetry, poets corner, smart phones, technology, telephones