waiting

we've forgotten how to wait

cell phone conversations on the highway
laptop computers on the couch
while the kids ask for homework help
over the background of television noise

we've forgotten how to wait

we're great at multi-tasking, trying not
to 'waste' time ~ since 'time-is-money'
rules our lives, the more we do
the better we get at doing doing doing

we've forgotten how to wait

"I can't wait for Christmas"
from the mouths of children
through weeks of not being able to wait
but Christmas doesn't come any sooner

we've forgotten how to wait

what we teach our children, though
we ourselves forget believing that we
can micro-manage our own lives
for each minute of the time we're awake

we've forgotten how to wait

we've forgotten how to slow down,
even just for a moment ~ we've lost
the sabbath experience of Advent
the gift of taking a break from the frantic

we've forgotten how to wait for the divine
to wait for G-d to work on G-d's own time