Mark Mahemoff
Duct
I’m directed to an anteroom
with grimy toys, old Women’s Weeklies
and a chipboard shelf
tightly stacked with gloves and gowns.
There’s a three seater couch
and a two seater couch
identically upholstered
in crimson vinyl.
There are two mismatched chairs
and two fluorescent tubes
emitting a weak and bilious light.
Outside this functional space
empty beds keep vigil in darkness.
Speckled, buffed linoleum
is the flooring of choice.
There’s a locked door
with the words AIR DUCT
in a large sans serif font.
I’m consoled while waiting
for his surgery to finish.
Mark Mahemoff has published three books of poetry, the latest is Traps and Sanctuaries (Puncher & Wattmann, 2008). His poem ‘Hotel’ was included in the 2013 Black Inc Best Australian Poems anthology. He works as a couple and family therapist, plays drums and percussion and writes poetry, but not necessarily in that order.