A Day in the Hospital Clinic

By Mahendra Gonsalkorale

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Some sit on chairs very still
Others shift hither and dither at will
Thin ones, fat ones, tall ones, and short ones
Brave ones and the frightened ones

The New ones look lost and uncomfortable
The seasoned, resigned with magazine from table
Many occupy time with a Doodle
The Technos check Facebook with a Google

The Curious look around to see
Pretending not to be nosey
Somebody slumped with his eyes shut
Wakes up suddenly with a jerky start

Some sit erect giving that important look
while reading newspapers or a even a book
Some half asleep, but others more dense
The sound of loud snoring breaks the silence

As people enter they sit carefully and wait
leaving empty the chair between them and the next.
Some keep coat and bag on next chair, that's unfair
pretending not to see person looking for a chair.

A few in discomfort looking very glum
Scratching their heads and chewing gum
A restless child starts to annoy his mother
Her stern stare makes the poor child wither

Someone farts and pretends it's not him
Another starts looking for a waste bin
Some are laughing and some are groaning
Many talk loud and others are whispering

Nurses keep coming and nurses keep going
TV on the wall with nobody watching
Doors banging, telephones ringing
Receptionist looking busy phoning and talking

One picks nose, another stifles yawn gracefully
And the restless child gets even more lively
Mother shouts and waggles finger making him flinch
Child howls, they all stare and the mother turns pink

Quiet periods mixed with busy ones abound
Patter of shoes as clinic staff keep moving around
Doctors in a huddle, nurses in a muddle
Doctors and nurses, muddle and huddle

Suddenly the pale one vomits there
and another falls from his chair
Nurses rush and make oh such a fuss!
This dull place gets lively all at once

Name called repeatedly, an old lady wakes up.
Name called again and and the wrong one gets up
Another name called, and the previous name called
wants to know why she wasn't called

Name called repeatedly but nothing response-wise
Could it be the nurse's soft and rather delicate voice?
She calls a name, with struggle pronouncing
A man with a long name stands up grinning

Someone asks where the toilet is, can't wait
Another complains it is now 80 minutes late
Many getting angry by the minute, late to see doctor
Some get irate and demands to see a manager

Some look bored, resigned and listless, such a crime
Others check their watches for the umpteenth time
There are the staring ones with that unseeing expression
Resembling statues with a massive dose of depression

Someone walks in late, not well spoken
pauses at door, bemused with mouth half open
looks around hopefully, something wrong here
wrong clinic, wrong day or wrong time, oh dear

It's all in a days' work for the clinic staff,
conditioned and insensitive, always ready for a laugh
Patients will continue to trudge in and trudge out
It matters not a hoot if they are satisfied or nowt