"I lift the receiver" | 5 [a dozen rubaiyat]

Awaiting the ring of the phone
all uncertain   & alone
I lift the receiver & listen
mein Gott!   a dialtone!

what number should I proceed
to twirl on the wheel? I need
direction   who owns a directory?
the choices are many indeed!

I gingerly dial "1"
and watch the rise of the sun
the unity is astonishing
it's broken by naught & none

I carefully dial "2"
ah clouds now come into view
I notice the mottled shadows
beside a "me" there's "you"!

with joy I dial "3"
my sense of ecstasy
grows palpable   a guest
arrives in time for tea

at length we opt for "4"
our room has walls & door
the earth is broad & stable
the sea has found its shore

I finally dial "5"
& thank God that I'm alive
the perfection of existence
is the goal for which we strive

we thoughtfully dial "6"
"the lovers" this card depicts
in Tarot   there are six muses
thus love & art here mix

at length I turn to "7"
all's well in earth & heaven
the tree is laden with fruit
the bread's transformed by leaven

I dare to dial "8"
what archetypes await?
the world is filled with order
a bell rings at the gate

it's time to dial "9"
and drink the ruddy wine
of wisdom   of the elders
who croon "my Clemintine"

in end I dial "zero"
there stands the fiddler Nero
whose tune is so sardonic
he seems an antihero