Richard Schnap- A Poem

COLD CALLS

I remember the years
I spent telemarketing
As if they were yesterday

Magazine subscriptions
Custom-made windows
Symphony tickets

Sometimes I sold
Legitimate goods
And sometimes not

In harshly lit rooms
Overseen by bosses
With the souls of snakes

And now when I hear
An anonymous voice
Ask for me by name

I say he’s not here
To spare me the guilt
Of having to hang up