waiting my turn

while waiting, i take
out my notebook

and write down a few observations.
that woman over there
with that boy.

he has a rash on his wide forehead.
it's hard for me to make
a diagnosis from here,
but i'm thinking poison oak
or ivy.

the man
limping down the hallway,
with the drop step.
sciatica.

someone coughing behind
the closed door. your basic flu.

there's a teenage girl
twitching her leg,
looking at her phone.

could be anything from
pregnancy to restless leg
syndrome.

it's not my turn quite yet.
i have my id cards in hand.

i look at the blue carpet.
the salmon colored walls.

i cross my legs in the stiff chairs.
see the magazines
on the table.

ladies home journal. i don't touch
it.