By Donna M Coombs
Appointments to keep
Groceries, shopping
Lunch dates to meet
Clients, meetings
Time rushes by
As I struggle
To keep up the pace
And I wonder
How long can stay in
This race?
Amidst the fast paced
Schedule that is my life
I stop at the nursing home
And time slows
Way down…
Mom tells me
About each ache and pain
In infinite detail
As I try not to stare
At the clock behind her.
It’s a known fact
All nursing home clocks
Move forward at a snail’s pace
As I wait restlessly
For an hour to pass
Only half listening
My mind on the next stop
In my hectic schedule
I’ll see you in a few days
I say cheerily, with relief.
A few days pass
With the blink of an eye
In my time zone
At the nursing home
A few days go on and on…
Is this what I’m racing to?
And when I cross the finish line
Is this my reward?
A painful, lonely
But much slower time zone…
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