Telephone Booth Poem by Prabhakar Subramaniam

It is where lies come readily

Without any prompting

As there are no eyes

To belie the words

No eyes before

To see through them

Like a quick scene change

Without resort to props

It turns into a college

A tuition centre

A classmate's house

A movie theatre

You cannot but worry for your daughter

When you watch a college girl

Tell her mother

That she'll come late

As she has special classes

Then hop onto her boyfriend's pillion

Urging him to drive fast

'Or we'll miss the opening song! '

Next time the guy comes with another girl

When you tell the first one

She breaks down

'He said he could not live without me! '

Sometimes the youths carry on fake conversations

While trying to hit on you

'You are plump in a very desirable way'

(When I know I am fat and fighting it):

Every night before I close up

I tidy up the place

But cannot sweep away

The lies heard all day.