“Time is the school in which we learn.” -Joan Didion
The waiting room attendant
is bright, chipper
relentless as an alarm clock.
The room itself
is filled
with soft muzak
and soap opera dialog
competing to be white noise
but at least they cover
the florescent hum.
I sip elderly, burnt coffee
without really tasting it
as I recite
silent prayers and promises
to learn the lessons of patience.
This is linked to dVerse Poets Pub open link night.
In Other Words 
I love your ending here… And “elderly, burnt coffee…”I really like that… Nice to read you again, Mary
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Thank you Scott. It’s good to be writing again!
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do like that elderly coffee
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Thanks!
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I like your description of the coffee as “elderly.” Put a definite taste to it that just calling it “old” wouldn’t have done. Waiting can be so hard, but God does use it to teach us patience, which I’m told is a virtue. Peace, Linda
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Thanks Linda. I’m glad the coffee detail worked for you. I think I must be remedial when it comes to that patience thing, cause I sure have had a lot of lessons! lol
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Me too!
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Thanks for getting me on the “right” side of my bronco, Mary. This little poem hits the human mark of borderline chaos midst the recycled accordion music in a doctor/dentist/social worker’s waiting room. THE WAITING ROOM, existentially is a metaphor for purgatory. I like the line /I sip elderly, burnt coffee/.
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A stressful thing for sure, the waiting. How well you have captured the numbness of such moments.
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As you know better than I, Ginny. It was just one day for me waiting for a friend to get out of surgery. I know you’ve had a much longer, tougher time. xx
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You captured the feeling beautifully.
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Thank you, Madeleine.
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The way you describe the waiting and focused on the light, the coffee (yes elderly is surprising and good)..
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Thanks Bjorn. :o)
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I completely adore this!
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Oh, thank you!
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Yes, the lesson of patience, that’s what i need now. Thanks for sharing.
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Good luck with your lessons. :o)
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Thanks.
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You have captured very well the difficult time waiting in a waiting room. Patience is not easy at such times.
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Thanks Mary.
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After reading your words several times, all I can say is they’re perfect!
Anna :o]
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Thank you Anna. :o)
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Yes, this kind of waiting is draining and what strikes me most is how accurately you capture the wish do be distracted by anything, even the florescent, from the other feelings one feels in this kind of a room.
Hope the outcome was good…
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Yes, thank you. I was waiting for a friend who had back surgery. It’s been a slow road recovering, but he is getting better.
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“I sip elderly, burnt coffee
without really tasting it” ~ absolutely love the effect in here – very soulful.
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Not much worse than elderly coffee in a waiting room
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Wonderful! Vivid, interesting descriptions of mundane things made me feel like I was right there in the waiting room with you. I really liked, “relentless as an alarm.”
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Thank you Mike.
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