Are You There?

Poem. Originally published in The Racket 7, May 2020

Hello. I’m here. Can you hear me?

I can’t hear you.

There you are.
I can see you.

Oh—oop—ohp;
I can hear you, but now

     I can’t

     See you.

You froze.
Try disconnecting your mic & cam.
     Try connecting again.
Make sure to use the link in the event invite.

I’ll wait for you here.
I don’t mind waiting.
I’ll be here.

Ok, there you are.

Oh—oop—ohp;
But now I’m getting feedback.
I can hear myself.
Nothing worse than hearing yourself.

Sorry about my quality.
My equipment is outdated,
Nearly 5 years old.
I need a new cam.
I’ll try connecting again.

Okay, back.
Can you--
     Oh—oop—ohp
—shift your cam a bit?
I’m looking up your nose.
     Thanks.
Also, if you don’t mind,
If you’re not talking, put yourself on
     Mute.

I hear too many things during these meetings:

(babies, dishwashers, lawn mowers,
planes, street sweepers, sirens, washing machines)

In fact, I can see someone behind you now.
     Who is that?
     What are they saying?
     I can’t make out what they’re saying,
     but I can hear them.
Okay, I’ll put you on mute until they leave.

Ok, so now we’re just waiting for _________to log on.

Hello, ________!
     You made it!
     Welcome.

     We’re already here. Let’s get started.
     Oh—oop—ohp;
     You’re freezing. Yeah, you’re frozen.
     We can here you but can’t see you.
     Oh, now you’re both gone.
     Try connecting again.
     Can you hear me?
     Guys?
     Hey guys, log out then log back in again, please.
     Yeah, let’s try to reconnect.

I’ll wait for you here.
I don’t mind waiting.
I’ll be here.