Caller ID

Caller ID is a boon
No longer do I answer
Sales calls, unknown numbers

But when it is a known name
At an unexpected time
I begin to understand

My grandmother's querulous
Answer on the phone
H-e-l-l-o? So timidly

As though she expects
Bad news. Good news
Doesn't come at odd hours

So when my daughter calls
Mid-morning on a work day
Not on the weekend as usual

I answer breathlessly with
Trepidation, expecting
Something disconcerting

Bad news. Good news
Doesn't come at odd hours
But it's okay. An update.

A lull in her day, time for
Catching up. Nothing bad,
A reprieve until next time

When caller ID identifies
An unexpected messenger
And my heart quickens

As Grandma's must have
When the phone rang and
She answered, H-e-l-l-o??