Ye tang che in the waiting room

Waiting Room

In Tibetan, ye tang che

To be totally tired

Hopeless

To renunciate the ground

On which you’ve struggled

An abdication

Of our little lives

Ye tang che

Here in the waiting room

We are there

Ye tang che

The arms of a felon

Tan bruised fat slick

Decorated with years

Drooping, abdicating

Do not stare

Gaze to the ceiling

To acoustical panels

Chins jutting up

Only the carpet speaks     

Of incidents

And illnesses

So, let’s get this straight

Ye means completely

Tang che is exhausted

For now, wondering how

I knocked on the elevator doors

To confirm if they were brass

They were silent

Your ring is gone

It’s over, she says      

And you wait