non-moments

roll to a stop behind 20 other cars
waiting for the flagman to let you proceed
lean your head on your hand
fuming about construction zones
power outages doctors' waiting rooms
where overhead clocks tick to show you
your appointment was 15 minutes
25 minutes 40 minutes ago

objecting your life away
dreaming of being somewhere else
mumbling get on with it
fidgeting fingers tapping foot

get on with what when you roll to a halt
20 cars between you and the flagman
get on with what when you are thrust
into 48 hours of darkness
when the waiting room clock clicks
to tell you the doctor is one hour late?

get on with life you say but what about
life in all those non-moments
does it seep into another reality
freeze like a stored embryo does it die 
then come back to life when the flagman
turns his sign from stop to slow
when the lights come on
when the receptionist calls your name?

get on with life you say
these non-moments are a nuisance
we should do away with them you say

then life speaks
what you call non-moments
are presents of presence

The Writers Club, Feb. 2020
No Batteries Required, Yellow Arrow Publishing 2021