Digits

my life is a phone number written in lipstick
on a mirror in a 24-hour diner
where blinding lights cast a yellow shine in every
corner
faded pink screams quietly until someone lonely
reaches out and jots it down
the phone rings late
and my heart pounds in strange anticipation
on the other end is emptiness
a silence filled by desperation
thick lipstick looking for a good time
soon wiped away by cleaning ladies on a three a.m.shift
my hands shake as i study the charred reflection
jarred, helter skelter
i peer in and a smudged phone number peers back
my life summed up in seven digits

          JOANNA HOROWITZ