waiting for a turn

arqios

 

waiting for a turn


A worker chalks a line 
across the pavement,
measuring where the new 
conduit will run.

 

He doesn’t speak of purpose;
the gesture is enough—
a quiet geometry that keeps 
the district breathing.

 

Nearby, the library’s back door 
is propped open.

 

Inside, volunteers sort 
the taped‑up boxes
of donated recordings:
voices from meetings, vigils,
street festivals that ended 
before I was born.

 

Someone has written 
dates on the lids,
not as verdicts,
but as coordinates for 
whoever comes next.

 

The room feels like a place
where the future leans in to listen,
waiting for its turn 
         to continue the work.

 

 

 

 

.

 
 
 

 

Comments +

Comments9

  • nephilim56 ( Norman Dickson)

    good write my friend, much enjoyed

  • David Wakeling

    This is clever.It builds the suspense like a Alfred Hitcock Movie.The finally is an amazing metaphor. Very enjoyable

    • arqios

      Glad it worked out ! Thanks amigo πŸ™πŸ»πŸ•ŠοΈ

    • sorenbarrett

      Are we all just recordings in time to be boxed when the time comes, stored away for someone at a later time to listen to or maybe throw away? Well written Cryptic and thought provoking

      • arqios

        Indeed, are we? A fine question there, Soren. Thank you, dear friendπŸ™πŸ»πŸ•ŠοΈ

        • sorenbarrett

          You are most welcome my dear friend

        • Friendship

          Great write

          • arqios

            Thank you, Friendship πŸ™πŸ»πŸ•ŠοΈ

          • orchidee

            Good write A.
            Ohh, I have a (funny) turn trying to work out some cryptic poems! lol.

            • arqios

              Funny enough to share my friend πŸ™πŸ»πŸ•ŠοΈπŸ€©

            • Doggerel Dave

              Observed dichotomies: paid/unpaid work, present complexity/future complexity (electrical installation).
              Enjoyed muchly.

              • arqios

                Nice, keen and accurate. There's always some pep in your reads. Most obliged, Dave πŸ™πŸ•ŠοΈ

              • Kevin Hulme

                So much that goes on is really Preparation for the Future. Good One.

                • arqios

                  The future indeed has to be prepared for since it will come anyway and its own ways. Thanks, Kevin πŸ™πŸ•ŠοΈ

                • Tristan Robert Lange

                  Arqios, this is beautifully restrained and deeply thoughtful. I love how the poem moves from physical infrastructure into cultural and communal inheritance without ever forcing the connection. By the end, the act of preservation itself feels sacred. β€œThe room feels like a place / where the future leans in to listen” is such a gorgeous closing image, my friend. πŸŒΉπŸ–€πŸ™πŸ•―οΈπŸ¦β€β¬›

                  • arqios

                    Thanks, Tittu! Glad you feel that way about it. That truly's made my day πŸ™πŸ•ŠοΈ

                  • Goldfinch60

                    Those times are there for us all Rik and we will use them to go to that place where we belong.

                    Andy

                    • arqios

                      Getting to where we belong, that is beautiful Andy, thanks. πŸ™πŸ•ŠοΈ



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