“Presence Board” — A Poem

 

By the entrance,

names of employees

and their whereabouts.

 

Andy went for a dental appointment;

Shawn is in a conference;

Barbara on vacation.

 

I’m coming down with a cold;

haven’t slept all night.

Standing by the board

– a dry-erase marker in my hand –

I consider my options.

“Sick and tired”

sounds right.

 

(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, writes for Blacklock’s each and every Sunday)

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