How many times have you been in purgatory?
In the doorway
In the tube of the PET/CT
In the space before reaching 10,000 feet
In the hold on the phone with a credit card company
In the time between turning the lights off and falling asleep
In the waiting for the seeds to germinate
In the pandemic
In the zoom room
In the meeting that could have been an email
In the email that could have remained someone’s inner monologue
In the wedding toast that was more about the person toasting than the people being toasted
In the clicking refresh refresh refresh to see those vaccine appointments
In the indecision, does he love me or love me not
In the swimming pool before my body gets used to the chilling water
In the drip drip of the coffee machine
In the 15 mins waiting to comfort her when she’s crying
In the rain, flagging a free taxi
In the undoing of the past and redoing of the future
In the salary negotiation
In the courtroom awaiting the verdict
In the wee hours of the morning before a deadline
In the stalled subway car in the Transbay tube under millions of gallons of ocean water pressure
In the adulthood, between childhood and death