you don’t see it much anymore:
fifth in line, waiting to return
a wireless router for my brother

(which took, I might add, asking him
thrice, followed by my mother’s emplore,
his half-hearted excuse to “enjoy the drive,”
asking once more going out the door, an
“are you sure it’s not too much trouble?”, and
an affirmative in the negative)

we wait our turn, to speak, to resolve
the sundry nonissues that brought us in today–
I’ve taken, ironically enough,
to disconnecting from my phone in these moments, a silent,
futile, ignobile, half-hearted rebellion, on my best days–

and it’s here I watch, impatient,
impatience,
in the mask-filtered distant air an
“are you in line for the digital bill pay?”
-“no, go ahead”
“okay thank you”
-“…”
-“…”
-“oh you can do that? how?”
“here let me show you”

human interaction, kindness,
a dance delayed, but not dead yet