CONVERSATIONS
Sitting at my desk, I can sometimes hear the couple
next door talking. When the woman begins to say
something, she often begins with my love and though
I’m alone and probably would prefer being someone’s
love for more than just tonight, it’s starting to annoy me.
How often does she need to say it, he need to hear it?
How long before it’s something to count on for now?
Even with my long term connections, no one ever called
me babe, hun, or worse, dear. Sometimes they’d say Tony.
Other times they just started talking and I knew the words
were meant for me, whether they were simply making
conversation or by the tone, the look in their brown eyes,
that they were clearly in love with me at that moment
or maybe thinking about leaving, wishing we never met.
TONY GLOEGGLER was born and lives in NYC and managed group homes for developmentally disabled folks for over 40 years. Recent poems have appeared in Rattle, Vox Populi, and One Art. His collection, What Kind Of Man with NYQ Books, was a finalist for the 2021 Paterson Poetry Prize and his new book Here On Earth came out on January 2026 with NYQ Books.
READ MORE BY TONY GLOEGGLER:
Buy Tony Gloeggler’s book Here On Earth
Poem in Rattle