by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Hurry Up and Wait!

Many good things in life require a lot of waiting!

Hurry Up and Wait!

Traffic passes

like molasses.

We must wait.

Can’t be late.

We must accelerate.

Hard not to stress,

wondering why, I confess,

we’re in this mess.

Early departures avoid distress.

What terrible angst it creates

to be five minutes late!

Waiting…Earth we could circumnavigate.

After endless wait, we celebrate.

Good outcomes justify the wait!

Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia

Robert’s cataract surgery went well yesterday, and he has started to see improvements in his vision. Thank you to my fellow bloggers for their encouragement and good wishes. It means a lot to me. ❤

I wrote this poem to distract me and pass the time while I was waiting for Robert’s surgery to be completed. The form is a ZIGGERAUT: two lines of two words each, three lines of three words each, four lines of four words each, and five lines of five words each. The rhyme pattern is aa, bbb, cccc, ddddd.

76 Comments

    1. Michel, by last night, Robert was already experiencing improved vision. Thank you for your empathetic and encouraging comments. I think I am not so good at waiting! 🙂 Glad you liked the poem.

      I hope you and Janine are doing well. Spring is just around the corner, and spring flowers will soon be blooming in your garden.

      Love ❤
      Cheryl

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      1. I am glad this is so, dear Cheryl. By the way, my own cataract operations (I had two, on both eyes, at different times) were about 30 years ago. Already then, the operations were well done, with the newest equipment and methodology. I imagine, it has become even better now. So your husband has nothing to worry, everthing will be alright. And one more point: I have been living very well with the two artificial lenses, for 30 years. So Robert too is safe for the next 30 years. Please tell him that. Thank you. ❤❤❤

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    2. That is very reassuring to hear that your good vision has continued for thirty years, Olivia. Thank you so much for your empathy and kindness and for sharing your experiences. It is deeply appreciated! ❤ ❤ ❤

      Robert had been trying to get his cataract surgeries for many months. Two failed root canals followed by an extraction caused the delay. Drug intolerance required eyedrop trials and then eyedrops from a compounding pharmacy. It has been a long haul, but everything seems to be going well. The second surgery is next week. We are very grateful.

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    1. Thank you, Pragalba, for your support. Robert is already experiencing improvement in his vision. Though the eye drops contain some preservatives, he is tolerating them so far. Thank you for your kind comment on the poem. Writing it helped to keep me distracted while waiting. 🙂 Wishing you peace and happiness! ❤

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  8. oh interesting form, I’ll have to note it and try it sometime. So glad surgery finally happened, what a wait! Do hope the eye drops are sorted soon … sad time when we have to keep a check on the medicos … take care and happy healing!

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    1. It did seem like an eternity waiting for Robert to have his surgery. He started to see improvement in his vision late yesterday afternoon. Robert had expected that the eye drops from the compounding pharmacy would be preservative-free, but it seems that wasn’t possible. Robert has been tolerating them fairly well so far.

      The surgery center does 60 cataract surgeries a day with two surgeons on duty. I guess it is hard to accommodate those who have drug intolerance or don’t fit the norm in some way. I think everyone tried their best.

      Your empathetic comments and encouragement mean a lot to me, Kate. Thank you so much! ❤ ❤ ❤
      Hope all is well with you, and you are having a pleasant summer.

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    1. Cindy, I appreciate your empathy and understanding so much! Though the eye drops from the compounding pharmacy contain some preservatives, Robert does seem to be tolerating them so far. He started experiencing improvement in his vision within a few hours of the surgery. Thank you for your kind words and support.

      Writing the poem helped to distract me while I waited during Robert’s surgery. Glad you like it. Take care, Cindy! ❤

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      1. Of course, I do understand how hard this can be. thank goodness he is tolerating them. oh wow that’s a good sign and I hope it continues to improve daily.
        We need all of the distractions we can get at times. Hang in there!! 💖

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    1. Thank you, KK, for your kind remarks and good wishes for Robert. Your support means a lot to me. Robert’s vision started to improve within a few hours of surgery, and he seems to be tolerating the eyedrops pretty well so far. Glad you liked the poem. Writing it occupied my mind and helped to pass the time during Robert’s surgery.

      Take care, and enjoy the rest of your week! ❤ ❤ ❤

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    1. Thank you for sharing your positive experience with cataract surgery, Eugenia. Your support and encouragement mean a lot. Robert has started to see some improvements in his vision already and is tolerating the eye drops fairly well so far. Tomorrow, he has a follow-up appointment.

      Have a great day! Warmer and sunny, I hope. ❤ ❤ ❤

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  14. Grand news about Robert Cheryl 😊🤗 ,, and yes it looks like your notifications were not being sent .. I’m sorry about that .. 🤗😀
    I adore your “waiting” poem. and coincidentally I wrote a “waiting” poem last night too!! ..😊🌏💕🐶

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind response, Ivor! It is good to hear from you. Robert is doing very well! I will check out your “waiting” poem. I bet you hate waiting as much as I do! 🙂 I hope you are doing well! Give Frankie a hug from me! ❤ ❤ ❤

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    1. Thank you, Ingrid. Robert is doing very well! You are quite right about trying to learn to “slow things down and enjoy the wait.” Writing the poem helped me pass the time during Robert’s surgery. Some things are beyond our control, but our response isn’t one of them! Hope you are enjoying your new home. It must be wonderful living in England again. All the best! ❤

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    1. Thank you, Scott. Glad you like the poem, written to distract me while Robert was in surgery. 🙂 Interesting to know “Hurry up and wait is the unofficial motto of the military.” 🙂 Robert is doing great. The followup is tomorrow and the second eye will be done next week. All the best! ❤

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  18. It was a fun poem to read. I’m so glad the surgery went well. One of these years, when my cataracts are bad enough, I’ll get them removed. Until then, I’ll avoid night driving and trust the timing.

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    1. I am happy you found the poem fun, JoAnna. Thank you for your kind comment. ❤

      My younger sister has been putting surgery off for a long time and is unable to drive at night because of her cataracts. She has an appointment sometime in March. My younger brother has already had cataract surgery. I have cataracts in the early stages. I am guessing I won't need surgery for several years.

      Robert's vision is improvsd already a day after surgery. When you are ready, know that it is a very routine surgery. The surgery center where Robert went does 60 surgeries a day with a couple of surgeons. You are there for two hours, but the actual procedure takes only 15 minutes. Robert's second eye surgery will be next Monday.

      All the best! ❤

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  19. First, continued well wishes for Robert, reads like there are improvements there already. Second, a great poem that pretty much sums up life these days – hurry, wait, rush, slow, speed, stall – I thought that wheel would stop after retirement, but sadly wrong.

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    1. Robert’s follow-up exam went very well today. Surgery on the other eye will be on Monday. Thank you for your kind wishes. I enjoyed reading your thoughtful comment. I agree that so much of life is like that, even after retirement, but less so, I think.

      Stay warm, Brian! ❤

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    1. I did try to make the poem generic enough to apply to multiple situations. I actually had to drive for over an hour to the appointment and wait for two hours while Robert’s surgery was being performed. Then I had to drive another hour to get home. Monday we will repeat the same schedule for the second eye, except we will leave 10 minutes earlier! 🙂 Fortunately, all of the other appointments are not so far away. We are beyond happy that Robert is doing great!

      Thank you, Lawrence, for your kind comments. Your support is very much appreciated. Have a great week! ❤

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    1. Thank you so much, Henrietta, for your kind comment. Surgery on the second eye is today. In two weeks Robert will get his glasses and should have normal vision again. We are thrilled! My pleasure to share the poem. It makes me happy that you like it. ❤ Have a wonderful week! 🙂

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  27. Waiting is tough, especially in a hospital- for a loved one to recover. But writing eases it. I wrote a poem on waiting when my dad was in hospital. Writing greatly helped me through it.
    Thank you, Cheryl for visiting my blog. It led me to yours💕.

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  28. Thank you, Smitha, for your beautiful response and for sharing the similar experience you had when your father was in the hospital. I am sure your poem meant a lot to him, and I hope he is doing well now.

    Thank you for reading and commenting. It means a great deal to me! ❤ Wishing you all the best!

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  30. A great poem Cheryl. Hurry up and wait, that is what I say, when I see folks flying by me. Catch you at the light! You know I have never been like that! LOL. Well done. Glad the surgery went well. Cataract surgery is most helpful. Amazing how much better you see afterwards.

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