Waiting

Patience conspires with time—

A ponderous constant, a found-here

To-be-left-here, unseen but felt—

And forces upon us a lifetime of waiting:

For a lunch order, the train, the bus, a flight;

Or a service—a document from Home Affairs,

A love to be returned, a pain to ease,

A wound to heal; perhaps for the sun to set

To relish its delight, or the dawn to rise

To hearken upon a birdsong; we wait

For the summer to revel in gaiety,

Or for the winter to create different memories;

For a war to end, an answered prayer,

Perhaps for times to change—

A hope to be realized, an ambition fulfilled,

Or a penny to drop in the bowl—we wait

In haste, banal bore, or suspense;

In anguish, or palpitating excitement

With a fuss, or not a care at all

In stark awareness, or sweet oblivion;

Gazing upon stars and blue horizons

Pondering over vast spaces, wondering why:

We wait upon life itself.

Picture credit: Etsy.com