Little Miss Phone-Down — Dinner With Grandma

Lyrics

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
At 7:15 on that October Tuesday,
Little Miss Phone-Down slides into the booth
at Ethel's oak table, the one with the lace runner
from 1982, bought at the flea market in Duluth.
She sets her iPhone 14 face-down,
screen dark against the wood grain,
no buzz, no glow to pull her away.

[Chorus]
Eye contact like a steady flame,
held across the pot roast steam.
"And then what happened with Aunt June?"
The follow-up question hangs soft,
attention wrapped as the rarest gift,
no ribbons, no fanfare, just here.

[Verse 2]
Ethel's stories unfold, the one about the '67 Ford
that broke down on Route 12,
and Little Miss listens, nods at the pauses,
her gaze a bridge over the mashed potatoes.
The phone stays silent, ignored,
its phantom vibrations imagined but dismissed.

[Bridge]

In this dining room lit by the pendant lamp
from Sears, circa 1995,
she chooses the human over the digital hum,
the rare currency of undivided now.

[Verse 3]
Dessert comes, apple pie from Ethel's recipe,
crust flaky with Crisco secrets.
Another question: "What was Grandpa's favorite part?"
The evening stretches, unhurried,
attention paid in full, no debt accrued.

[Outro]
The screen stays down, the connection stays lit.