Dusting the Phone (Jackie Kay)

Dusting the Phone by Jackie Kay  explores the emotional anxiety of being in love and waiting for communication from a partner. The speaker is trapped in obsessive thoughts, constantly imagining both the best and worst outcomes. The poem captures emotional insecurity, longing, and the tension between hope and fear in relationships. You can read the poem below and find analysis further down the page.

Dusting the Phone by Jackie Kay

I am spending my time imagining the worst that

could happen.

I know this is not a good idea, and that being in love,

I could be

spending my time going over the best that has been

happening.

The phone rings heralding some disaster. Sirens.

Or it doesn’t ring which also means disaster. Sirens.

In which case, who would ring me to tell? Nobody

knows.

The future is a long gloved hand. An empty cup.

A marriage. A full house. One night per week

in stranger’s white sheets. Forget tomorrow,

You say, don’t mention love. I try. It doesn’t work.

I assault the postman for a letter. I look for flowers.

I go over and over our times together, re-read them.

This very second I am waiting on the phone.

Silver service. I polish it. I dress for it.

I’ll give it extra in return for your call.

Infuriatingly, it sends me hoaxes, wrong numbers;

or worse, calls from boring people. Your voice

disappears into my lonely cotton sheets.

I am trapped in it. I can’t move. I want you.

All the time. This is awful – only a photo.

Come on, damn you, ring me. Or else. What?

I don’t know what.

Analysis

Structure

Free Verse Form

The poem is written in free verse with irregular stanza lengths. This reflects the speaker’s unstable and anxious thoughts. The lack of structure mirrors emotional uncertainty.

Fragmented Structure

Ideas are broken and shift quickly. Sentences are often incomplete or interrupted. This reflects the speaker’s restless and obsessive thinking.

Repetition

Quote

“Sirens.”

Repeated throughout the poem. Suggests panic and imagined disaster. Creates a sense of anxiety and urgency.

Enjambment

Lines run on without punctuation. Reflects continuous thought and emotional spiralling. Suggests the speaker cannot control their emotions.

Ending Fragment

Quote

“I don’t know what.”

The poem ends abruptly and unresolved. Reflects emotional confusion and instability. Leaves the reader with uncertainty.

Themes

Love and Obsession

The speaker is deeply in love but becomes emotionally dependent.

Quote

“I am trapped in it. I can’t move.”

Suggests love has become suffocating. Implies emotional imprisonment.

Anxiety and Fear

The speaker constantly imagines negative outcomes.

Quote

“I am spending my time imagining the worst that could happen.”

Shows obsessive worry. Suggests insecurity in relationships.

Communication

The phone symbolises connection and emotional dependence.

Quote

“This very second I am waiting on the phone.”

Highlights anticipation and vulnerability. Suggests reliance on external reassurance.

Isolation

Despite being in love, the speaker feels alone.

Quote

“Your voice disappears into my lonely cotton sheets.”

Suggests emotional absence. Creates a sense of silence and emptiness.

Imagination vs Reality

The speaker struggles between hopeful and fearful thoughts.

Quote

“spending my time going over the best that has been happening.”

Shows attempts to balance negative thinking.

Tone

Anxious

The speaker is constantly worried about disaster.

Quote

“Sirens.”

Conveys panic and fear.

Romantic

There are moments of longing and desire.

Quote

“I want you. All the time.”

Shows emotional intensity.

Obsessed

The speaker cannot stop thinking about the partner.

Quote

“I assault the postman for a letter.”

Hyperbolic language suggests desperation.

Frustrated

The speaker becomes increasingly agitated.

Quote

“Come on, damn you, ring me.”

Direct, emotional outburst.

Language and Imagery

Symbolism of the Phone

Quote

“I am spending my time imagining the worst that could happen.”

The phone represents connection and fear. It becomes a source of anxiety rather than comfort.

Personification

Quote

“The future is a long gloved hand.”

The future is given human form. Suggests uncertainty and distance.

Metaphor

Quote

“I am trapped in it.”

Love is presented as a prison. Suggests lack of control.

Sensory Imagery

Quote

“lonely cotton sheets.”

Creates a tactile sense of isolation. Suggests physical and emotional emptiness.

Hyperbole

Quote

“I assault the postman for a letter.”

Exaggerates emotional desperation. Shows obsessive behaviour.

Contrast

• Hope vs fear
• Connection vs isolation
• Communication vs silence

Key Quotes to Memorise

Context

• Jackie Kay is a Scottish poet known for exploring identity, relationships and emotional complexity.
• Her poetry often reflects modern life, including communication and emotional dependency.
• The poem reflects contemporary relationships where technology (such as the telephone) plays a key role in emotional connection.
• It explores how love can create both joy and anxiety, especially when communication is uncertain.

Grade 8–9 Interpretation

Kay presents love as emotionally intense but unstable, showing how desire and fear can become intertwined. The phone becomes a symbol of both hope and anxiety, reflecting the speaker’s dependence on communication for emotional reassurance. Ultimately, the poem suggests that modern love can be consuming and mentally exhausting, blurring the line between affection and obsession.

Exam Tip

When analysing Dusting the Phone, focus on how Kay uses fragmented structure, repetition and symbolism to show anxiety and emotional dependence. Link these techniques to the idea that love can be both comforting and psychologically overwhelming.

You can find analysis of all the Eduqas Poetry Anthology Poems here.