The Couch in Reception
by Regina Wilson

Invites the occasional guest
To sit by the coffee table and
Page through academic journals
That are too boring to read
Properly.

The visitors to my office
Are few and far between
And generally they camp out elsewhere
Or conduct their business quickly.
No one tarries in reception
For very long.

So sometimes I imagine that
I will arrive to find
You on the couch.
Waiting for me, patiently.
I greet you warmly
And then we cry, of course,
As my befuddled coworkers
Grant us the time and space we need
To count the migrating birds.