-- I Waited for You -–

John Herlihy

I waited.

I waited for you.

I waited for you a long time,

Still expecting you to come.

Time did hang heavy,

As if emptiness held weight,

The moment just hanging around idle.

Why even make the appointment, I wonder?

Your promise was surely never late.

The loss of your presence brought absence near;

But I continued to wait, held the waiting dear.

When the hour of hope was fully wrung,

I finally knew that you would not come.

I still waited.

And as I waited,

Taking comfort in the tinkle of the ice in my drink,

The current of warm murmurs in the bar made me think.

Perhaps, I wasn’t alone after all, with people sitting around.

Everyone waiting for something to be found.

Through the smoke in the room, she looked my way,

At first, I glanced back, blinking as if I couldn’t see,

Only to realize she was smiling at me.

She picked up her drink and headed thru the tables,

Now I really needed to have something to say.

An overhead fan kept the air of the room fresh,

Soon she would sit by my side like Aladdin’s wish.

I waited and you didn’t come, I thought.

You didn’t come, so I waited no longer.

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(c) John Herlihy 17 December 2018