The Ring

The phone buzzed, a low, dull hum,

vibrating on the wood.

I watched it, silent, numb,

just letting it be understood.

One ring, then two, then three,

a small, insistent plea.

But I knew it wasn't for me

to answer, or to be

the one.

It stopped, a click, then a soft tone,

the voicemail light came on.

A strange, small freedom, felt alone,

as if a burden was gone.

I left it there, the message unseen,

a silence finally kept.

No words, no fight, just the space between

what I could fix, and what just slept.