I Peruse The Documents

Bemused, I go with an enthusiasm.
an interruption as always
a phone call disturbs.

Laying the papers aside
I answer and get engrossed
in the conversation.

It is gossip in a way
talking of a cousin,
a very distant one.

The caller, I know
brags and drags
spites and curses.

The call goes on
for hours, I listen
with little interest.

For the first half an hour
I say yes or no, to keep
the exchange alive.

I am wrong, so to say,
affirmations outnumber
denials.

Half way through
I lose track, as I bury
myself in the documents.

Those being the wills
and probates drawn
by the forefathers.

The inheritance, I track
goes down with ease
to generations.

I decipher division of properties
could not detect even
a single digit multiplication.

The caller has hung up
long time ago. My phone
is on remains silent.