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 tapedβup 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.
.
-
Author:
crypticbard (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: May 11th, 2026 05:24
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 21
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, Kevin Hulme, Tristan Robert Lange
- In collections: Archival file.

Offline)
Comments9
good write my friend, much enjoyed
Thanks Norman, much appreciated πποΈ
most welcome
This is clever.It builds the suspense like a Alfred Hitcock Movie.The finally is an amazing metaphor. Very enjoyable
Glad it worked out ! Thanks amigo ππ»ποΈ
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
Indeed, are we? A fine question there, Soren. Thank you, dear friendππ»ποΈ
You are most welcome my dear friend
Great write
Thank you, Friendship ππ»ποΈ
Good write A.
Ohh, I have a (funny) turn trying to work out some cryptic poems! lol.
Funny enough to share my friend ππ»ποΈπ€©
Observed dichotomies: paid/unpaid work, present complexity/future complexity (electrical installation).
Enjoyed muchly.
Nice, keen and accurate. There's always some pep in your reads. Most obliged, Dave πποΈ
So much that goes on is really Preparation for the Future. Good One.
The future indeed has to be prepared for since it will come anyway and its own ways. Thanks, Kevin πποΈ
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. βThe room feels like a place / where the future leans in to listenβ is such a gorgeous closing image, my friend. πΉπ€ππ―οΈπ¦ββ¬
Thanks, Tittu! Glad you feel that way about it. That truly's made my day πποΈ
Those times are there for us all Rik and we will use them to go to that place where we belong.
Andy
Getting to where we belong, that is beautiful Andy, thanks. πποΈ
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