FaceTiming God

After "Telephoning God" by Gary

Soto

3:00 a.m. stoned in the back seat of a
Greyhound

between Cleveland and Memphis I FaceTime
God

and reach Reykjavík, Gunnar with his leg in a
cast,

changing the channel on his TV every thirty
seconds

FaceTime again and Des Moines comes
through in a Cadillac, Henry call me Hank on
his way to

the Chick-fil-A Goshdarn slow drivers

Then Fort Myers and Tyler, daughter hugged to
his chest,

Mommie didn't mean that

FaceTime once more, and only the knock of
bocce balls

on a crushed oyster-shell court, Virginia Beach

A little silence, then the steam off an apple pie,

then the sweat pouring off Angela in the
kitchen

scorch marks on her proffered palms.