Experience has also taught me this, that we undo ourselves by impatience.
~Michel de Montaigne
Hello! Happy Poetry Friday! Sorry to be a bit late :) I didn't have a post ready, so I decided to find a poem about "patience" since that was Irene's theme today. Here's what I came up with:
HOW ARE WE DOING?
by Nancy Miller Gomez
The man working window eleven
at the DMV wears his name around his neck
like a medal won in a war
he never signed up for. Even from here,
three people back, I can see
Frank is having a bad day.
He keeps tapping the same key, hoping
the computer will do something different.
Poor Frank tapping harder and harder,
pausing sometimes to stare owl-eyed
at a young woman waving her paperwork
as if she’s trying to reignite
a dying fire. Her pretty face has grown ugly...
read the rest here
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Live Your Poem has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Irene!
Tabatha, the next time I get stuck in a long line, I will think of this poem and how we need kindness and compassion in this world. This poem has reality stamped all over it. Life is becoming more difficult each day so we must spread kindness.
ReplyDeleteTab this poem made me cry.
ReplyDeletePoor Frank, and the world has drained of compassion faster during this pandemic. I vow to find more time for kindness - and I wish the same for you.
Yes I agree with Tanita, poor Frank, ah. Thanks for sharing this slice of life poem filled with so much humanity–glad there's some still out there. And you made it back, and posted too, wow! BTW I love the rainbow postcard-poem, thanks Tabatha and for the extra breaths from these poems–reading poetry has that affect on me! xox
ReplyDeleteA beautiful poem, Tabatha. I can so relate to this mission - to make the world a kinder place for those who so often are under-appreciated and overworked.
ReplyDeleteWow. How is it that such a simply worded poem can have such an impact on me. The truth of it cuts, I think. Geesh, I am all the people in that poem. And, I want to give all of them some love. Thanks for this one.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful poem of noticing and noting. The DMV is always the worst. Long waits and incompetent workers and yet, this poem opens my eyes to kindness and the way we just need to be the one to spread that kindness, even at the DMV. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt was great to read this one again. I love this bit:
ReplyDelete"I want to believe there is someone
watching over us to whom I can respond, "
Thanks for sharing this primer on the value of kindness, patience, and just plain noticing people."Frank" reminds us of the humanity in these types of jobs. I'm willing to bet no one ever answers the "what do you want to be when you grow up?" question with, "I want to work in the DMV!"
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing about patience, Tabatha- this poem is just what I needed. xo
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness what a wonderful poem. "How are we doing?" indeed, and the honest, heartfelt answer. Thank you for sharing this today.
ReplyDeleteA great poem for today! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI can just hear the tap-tap-tapping of impatience.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I am reminded to never show signs of impatience to my students (even though I am tearing my hair out on the inside).
The empathy in this poem, Tabatha! Thank you for sharing it. I love the narrative qualities -- the characters described in such detail. I love Frank.
ReplyDelete