‘Wind Phone, Otsuchi, Japan’ by Emma McKervey

In Japan, on the north eastern coast, there is a phone box still,
with few windows if any left, although it is swept clear of leaves

and dust each morning. It stands on the lip of a hill from where the sea
can be seen, and the village, which is mostly rebuilt by now.

A stuttered trail of pilgrims is received to its door, to spin the rotary dial
although it is unconnected to any source. They whisper small things;

the weather, the spring blossom, the seizing up of joints, to the wind
in the mouth piece before setting it gently back in its cradle,

and they walk down to the village, or to the bus stop for a bus
to take them to the larger inland towns where they have been rehomed.

From issue #5: autumn/winter 2017

About the Author
Emma McKervey’s work has been published by a range of publishers including the Emma Press and Seren Press. She has recently been shortlisted for the FSNI National Poetry Competition, Irish Book Awards and the Seamus Heaney New Writing Awards. She is a member of the Women Aloud Collective. Her debut collection, The Rag Tree Speaks, was published by Doire Press in September 2017.