the patients

how patient these patients
are.
sitting side by side
with their coughs and fevers.
things that itch.
their canes
beside them.
they read
the magazines on the table.
popular mechanics,
people, and sports.
some stare into their phones,
or out the window
where the sun
has crawled away.
they have finished their forms
and wait.
there is no hello.
no eyes meet eyes.
no introductions, no explanations
as to why anyone
is there.
it's a guessing game
as each name is called,
and they are taken
behind
closed doors.