The word “conservatory” exists
as one of those liminal words
that captures a space, a place, and an experience,
each of these definitions
also enveloping an element of time.
We don’t hear of friends
spending their time 
in any version of this word,
yet we act surprised when we hear
of a culture such as ours 
drained of all leisure, music, thinking, flowers, and phrasings.
While a few panes of glass and a few settees
won’t fix the pains that have taken root in our souls,
slowing down and remaining
might stall the sunbeams in artificially humid air
long enough for us to notice
when we want something
more for our world.
That feature is the most powerful one
locked in the many layers of a conservatory,
even if we must search a little harder
to find even a symbolic one.