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Voice of the Century


by Gary Hardaway


She chirps your balance,
the date today,
each turn you need to take

to find that great Thai restaurant
your friends have praised,
and warns of payments due

without a hint of condescension.
More ears have heard her voice
than ever will listen to Maria Callas.

Feminine, safe, though disembodied,
she shapes your life in ways
your mother never could.

Surely, generous royalties
direct deposit to her account
each cheerfully annunciated day.
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