Promptly Poetry

The Waiting

I wait endlessly, unable to protest life's sluggishness.

In line at the store, I shift from foot to foot
Hoping all the prices ring up correctly.

On hold with the IRS, I shudder to think
What will happen if I can't iron this out.

I check the tracking a dozen times a day
For that package I need at the last minute—
What if they leave it with someone else?

Down my emails I scroll, lost in space
Expecting acceptance or rejection, either way—
My dreams depend on how this goes!

My bank account shrinks inexorably
While I wait for payday, counting pennies.

In hospital rooms and doctors offices, I wait,
Heart throbbing with inner pain manifesting—
Can they help me feel better?

In the mirror each morning, I peer to see:
Are those ragged scars fading yet?
How much longer do I wear them
like badges of suffering untold?

I scan his last letter, analyzing better than ChatGPT ever did
When will he return to my heart?
Is there someone else he found?

I sit up late so many sleepless nights
Praying, waiting for a wayward son, a slave unto darkness

Is God aware?
Or do I wait also for Him
to notice me, guide me, give me His presence?

Will the waiting ever end?
Tom Petty was right.

30 lines, 220 words.
Prompt: Write about the feelings you experience or things you notice while waiting for something.

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