Here is a little poem I put together while I was walking the dog and waiting for her to finish looking into the distance at. . . nothing. It made me think about how much of my life I spend waiting for someone or something. When you’ve read this you can add your own ‘waiting for…’ in the comments.
I’m always waiting
waiting for the dog
waiting for the kettle to boil
for the washing machine to finish, for a cake to bake
how much time do I spend waiting?
waiting for the bathroom to be free
waiting for my money to get to the bank
I’ve always waited for that, first birthday gifts, then salary, now pension
I’ve never waited at the altar
even though I’ve been married three times
I’ve waited in the courtroom for a divorce
waiting at the cemetery to watch a burial
waiting to spread the ashes of a loved one
stood, waiting in line to buy a stamp
waited for people to come through the barrier
at the airport or the station
waited for a taxi to come along
Waiting, always waiting
I’m always waiting for my turn,
at the shops, at the doctor’s, at the poetry evening,
at a dance competition when I was younger
for my husband to come back from a bike ride now
I’ve waited to be served, with tea, coffee, cold drink
wine, water, snacks, food
waiting for a letter to come
waiting for an email to tell me good news
waiting for my next birthday
waiting at a junction
waiting for a baby to be born, waiting for a relative to die
we’re born waiting.
pausing, postponing, lingering, hanging around, marking time,
killing time when we should be living time
but
we’re waiting
waiting. . .
always waiting
Ninette Hartley © February 2018
This is The Man…every day!
and now – in the words of Jim Morrison – waiting for the sun
The sun is here but no warmth… xx
Hi enjoyed your ‘Waiting’ poem. Currently I’m ‘Waiting’ for the Swansea train, sitting in the waiting room on Bristol Parkway. Every time the door slides open I’m hit with an icy blast! Bit chilly!
Glad you enjoyed it. I’m sitting with a hot water bottle on my lap, feeling old. 🙁 I’ll have to get a pair of fingerless gloves so that I can carry on writing. I’ll be like Dickens only not so long winded! Waiting for the clock to say 1pm (only three minutes to go) so that I can have lunch and not feel it’s too early. xx
Ninette, that’s a thought-provoking poem! I hate waiting – it’s such a waste of time! It’s probably why I am rarely early for anything…! (but I try very hard, also not to be late!). I spent a very pleasant half hour last week, waiting for my dad at the doctor’s. He went in (he didn’t want me to go with him) and I sat in the car and did a sudoku and read the paper. It was such a treat to have 30 minutes of relaxation like that. I never do it normally! So, sometimes, waiting can be good for us. A forced ‘stop’!
You’re right! Waiting can be a positive experience. What I like about this poem, is that I could go on adding to it and also allow others to put in their ‘waiting’ thing. At the moment I’m waiting for a cup of coffee which is currently being made by The Man! 🙂