Another Day at the Beach

We sit here all in silence
Waiting for the clicking machine
The magnet that is not seen
To scan our brains

The setting is a waiting room
Hospital gowns worn by all
Except by our partners down the hall
And the wife of the man in the wheelchair

The minutes tick by
Tempers begin to flair
New skulls with no verdict
No knowledge of possible conflict

Of what might be growing
Of what might be glowing
When the dye is injected
A woman says to ask a nurse

She looks in her purse
She says the time has flown
Sitting here not knowing
They begin to talk

About the hours they have spent
Waiting on the machine
That might help them redeem
The security that was taken

A man says, I’m in no hurry
I’m not worried
My tumor isn’t going anywhere soon
25 MRIs and this is my vacation room

This is a vacation day earned
That hallway is my beach
The MRI tube helps me lose my speech
And for a moment I listen