Picked up a random poetry book From the crowded shelf. Quick easy hour read: Delight and wonder. Then, Found…
Stuck In an Elevator…
Steel metal box,
About 36 by 48-inch floor,
With handrails I won’t touch and
Social distancing reminders,
Offers release from a day
Providing care to others.
The box doors close with
A mechanical rumble;
I breathe out a sigh of relief,
Mentally going through my list,
The next part of the day,
Switching roles
Employee to mother, wife.
The doors open too soon.
In walk one, two, three,
Four adults of various ages,
Cheerfully chatting,
Smiling without any concern
For the clearly posted signs:
Maintain six feet distance.
There are two bright blue Xs,
One each in alternating corners,
Indicating where to stand
For safety,
For health,
For courtesy.
Four people descend upon me;
I am stuck in the corner,
Nowhere to go,
No time to escape,
No words to remind
Strangers.
One lady wears nursing garb,
Healthcare worker perhaps,
As she laughs with a lady
Holding a gray medical walker,
A wire basket on top
Full of objects I cannot distinguish
Through my sheer speechless shock.
No masks,
Not even on me,
As I wasn’t prepared to be
Stuck in such a terrifying situation.
Did these people not see the news?
Today alone,
248 cases confirmed in our county.
The virus spreads like wildfire in
An unsuspecting meadow.
Downright denial,
Disrespect,
Disapproval,
I am a child in a box
With adults laughing,
Breathing,
Talking,
All the while invisible germs
May be flying right towards me
As I breathe uncomfortably.
I long to rewind the situation,
Take the opposite elevator,
The one that is handicapped
And larger sized;
Climb down the four flights of stairs,
Even with the burden of a crate,
Filled full of coloring books,
Crayons, markers, paints,
Papers, Spirograph circles,
All for a day of activities,
Heavy supplies,
But rather a heavy burden downstairs
Than here in this crowded,
Germ infected box.
The door dings and opens;
My turn to escape.
“Excuse me, this is me,”
I hear myself utter suddenly.
And a young man who reeks
Of dirt and cigarettes steps out,
Wishes me a good day,
Allows me to depart.
Relief as I make it to my yellow car
And a nearly empty bottle of sanitizer.
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I don’t like being in elevators in any situation. Clostrophobic?
I do wish more people wore masks, but some never will.
Take care of yourself ❤
Agree! My sister was stuck in an elevator when I was seven. I remember mostly being embarrassed about the whole situation, but now years later, I see it as a learning experience. Sometimes we are all emotionally stuck, even with other people who block us, that we feel literally closed in. I was glad to escape this experience this past week, but it makes me appreciate the opportunities to breathe freely without fear of others around me even more. Oh, look at me, rambling on. Perhaps I should dig deeper about this in my next post?
Take care of yourself too friend!