WAIT

Weary white wary walls trap
strangled whispered whimpers.
Disheveled magazines—wounded soldiers
litter the tables and floor, drip words, phrases
like cough syrup, sticky and sweet.
Children with frosted eyes and stringy hair
gaze longingly at the nothingness
while mothers stroke their dirty cheeks.

Aged asphalt ablaze in August autumn bake
anxious addled arguments.
upholstery melding seamlessly
to the exposed flesh behind my kneecap
like chewing gum, used and discarded.
Pickups drip water from the AC
wink impatiently at the blushing globe
while drivers hide behind dark shutters.

Impatient ill-mannered interns interrupt
more incurred instruction.
Years of study and stress like backwash
swash around in heads too full to be useful
like watery lemonade too long by the window.
Patients blink surprised at the tone
afraid of the groundless confidence
while teachers with squeaky pens get hand cramps.

Teetering tired men timidly shuffle
two legs transformed to six.
Oxygen tanks and medicine patrol
the dwindling hours and strung-out days
like fat security guards in a pawn shop.
Visages from the past hide behind his bifocals
shimmer just beyond his restricted reach
while posterity wonders how much time is left.