Waiting Room

Waiting Room

This is a place of equality
a place of expectation
where all who enter
hope for a quick and easy resolution.
Waiting on--
it could be anything--
innocuous reasons
or life and death.
But the waiting room
remains a place of expectation
where the result is unknown,
the future untold.
Resignation,
boredom,
protocol,
grief,
excitement
quiet whispering,
arguing siblings,
helpless bureaucrats following endless rules.
Overheard parts of conversation
are tantalizing and mysterious.
Guessing background and stories
can ease boredom and tension.
The longer the wait
the more impossible it seems
that an answer will be brought forth.
But all are eventually released
from the waiting room.

 Marsha Salerno 9-09