Inside the building,
signs in English and French
direct me to First Aid stations,
fire extinguishers,
defibrillators.
By the boardroom,
bilingual copies of
Evacuation Plan
on display.
In each floor,
emergency exits and
fire safety doors
clearly marked.
English and French.
It’s been a long day.
I’m last to leave.
On my way out,
the cleaners.
They smile, greeting me
in Spanish.
I smile back.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, writes for Blacklock’s each and every Sunday)
