Meeting
The young woman sitting
on the other side of the room
has found great interest
in her right-hand fingers.
Her thumb rubs and digs
in the corners of her other
fingernails as if to wipe away
sleep from eye corners.
Her thumb worries hangnails
back and forth, back and forth.
She wants to bring her teeth
into the situation to chart
her progress on manicuring.
Outside the window
a hummingbird hovers
as if shading its eyes
to see inside.
Up one horizontal blind,
down a couple more,
left, right, more left,
around the corner, gone.
The young woman discovers
a cootie on her shoulder
and scratches bare skin
until she plucks the offense
and repositions her bra.
The hummingbird returns.
Its beak a magnificent
jackhammer splintering
glass in an invitation
to breakout so I crash
through and chase
the hummingbird
around the corner, gone.
© Diane Webster
Diane Webster
The Loch Raven Review 