The Poetry Project

QUICK CALL TO MY FAVORITE GHOST FROM A SUBWAY STATION PAYPHONE IN NYC

Christine Choi

Hello? Appa? Hi...[wind whistles, 1990s dial-up modem sounds, dot matrix printer sounds] Can you hear me? Where are you? [traffic sounds, helicopters fading in and out, crashing waves] Well if you can hear me, can you give me a sign? [howling wind, rustling branches, brief silence, clips of old timey music, ambient sound, wind, rain] Taking brief silence as a sign, I keep talking: Um, it’s Friday tomorrow, I was thinking I could come visit you, maybe spend the night, and we could go for a hike in the morning...I’ll take the train if you don’t mind picking me up? [wind, rain, howling young animals, frantic beating of wings] You don’t have to cook anything, we can go out to eat or order in if you’d like...[gurgling sound like a clogged drain unclogging, chirping, soft rustling as if an animal were gently escaping or diving into their burrow in the hedges] Are you working Saturday? Have you retired? [passing traffic, children laughing, barking dogs, a woman’s voice singing in Korean] Well, it’s no problem if you have to work. I’ll be there. We can hike whenever you’re free.

Work from ClickHole Poetics Dis/Course with Alicia Mountain

Elsewhere