No One Bothered

No one knocked on the door.
No one rang the door bell.
The phone never rang—
even the scammers had given up.
The only mail in the box
came from charities begging, 
“Give me money! We need money!”
Don't we all? he thought.
He sat in his chair
in front of the TV,
eating a microwaved meal.
When the ball game was over
he'd look for an old movie;
if he was lucky maybe 
he'd find an Abbott & Costello marathon.
If not, he'd probably just fall asleep
where he sat. 
No one would bother him.
There was no one left to care.

~Elise Skidmore ©2026