The telephone rang in my office to-day,
as it often has tinkled before.
I turned in my chair in a half-grouchy way,
for a telephone call is a bore;
And I thought, “It is somebody wanting to know
the distance from here to Pekin.”
In a tone that was gruff I shouted “Hello,”
a sign for the talk to begin.
“What is it?” I asked in a terrible way.
I was huffy, to tell you the truth,
Then over the wire I heard my wife say:
“The baby, my dear, has a tooth!”
I have seen a man jump when the horse that he
backed finished first in a well-driven race.
I have heard the man cheer, as a matter of fact,
and I’ve seen the blood rush to his face;
I’ve been on the spot when good news has come
in and I’ve witnessed expressions of glee
That range from a yell to a tilt of the chin; and
some things have happened to me
That have thrilled me with joy from my toes to
my head, but never from earliest youth
Have I jumped with delight as I did when she
said, “The baby, my dear, has a tooth.”
I have answered the telephone thousands of times
for messages both good and bad;
I’ve received the reports of most horrible crimes,
and news that was cheerful or sad;
I’ve been telephoned this and been telephoned
that, a joke, or an errand to run;
I’ve been called to the phone for the idlest of chat,
when there was much work to be done;
But never before have I realized quite the thrill
of a message, forsooth,
Till over the wire came these words that I write,
“The baby, my dear, has a tooth.”
(Edgar Albert Guest)
More Poetry from Edgar Albert Guest:
Edgar Albert Guest Poems based on Topics: Man, Joy & Excitement, Sadness, Mind, Faces, Babies, Thought & Thinking, Running, Sign & Symbol, Truth, Jokes & Humor- The Change-Worker (Edgar Albert Guest Poems)
- Runner McGee: (Who Had "Return if Possible" Orders) (Edgar Albert Guest Poems)
- The Lay For The Troubled Golfer (Edgar Albert Guest Poems)
- When Father Played Baseball (Edgar Albert Guest Poems)
- If Only I Were Santa Claus (Edgar Albert Guest Poems)
- Story-Time (Edgar Albert Guest Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, Mind Poems, Sadness Poems, Faces Poems, Joy & Excitement Poems, Thought & Thinking Poems, Truth Poems, Running Poems, Sign & Symbol Poems, Crime Poems, Horse PoemsBased on Keywords: tinkled, gruff, pekin, idlest, huffy, telephoned, well-driven