For Andrea Monsees, 1995

Around 1995 I gave Andrea, a lawyer friend, a trendy red "Ericofone" phone for her birthday, with this poem.  We were having all sorts of international issues at the time, and the "Red Phone" at the time was reputedly the phone where the President of the U.S. could call other national leaders for real emergencies, like a wayward A-Bomb.  The names are various political figures of the day.  The "Supremes" are, of course, Justices of the U. S. Supreme Court. 

Dear Andrea:

In our fair city Bill and Ron, 
Dick and Gerry all have said,
That nothing really does the job,
Better than a phone that's red.

When troubles come they dial it up, 
The Kremlin horns go ding-a-ling, 
And over wild Atlantic waves, 
Official voices start to sing.

A bomber that has lost its way?
A missal shot? Think nothing of it.
A red phone you must have today,
And like our leaders, learn to love it.

So even if the walls are beige,
Ecru pale, or white so pure, 
In this tumultuous day and age,
A red phone is, well, de rigeur.

So use it for emergencies, 
Or at any time at all.
For all you know, it just may be,
"The Supremes" who languish for your call!

And here is a Pantoum I wrote for Andrea  (see the post about Mark Strand for more on the Pantoum form)