While clutching tight her small brown purse,
she slowly walks into the hall.
Like others, she is early, too,
as she awaits the dinner call.
She doesn't smile, her eyes cast down,
and finds a seat where she can wait.
There's little talk among this group.
In talk, most don't participate.
For twenty minutes they will wait
with wheelchairs lined along the wall.
While others push their walkers in
to help protect against a fall.
It seems the high point of the day
for those in this facility
is mealtime when they leave their rooms
to dine amidst some company.
When dinner's done, attendants come
assisting those who are in need
of finding where their rooms might be
as fading memories impede.
And so it goes, day after day,
that mealtime offers up for some
escape from rooms where they reside
and wait for visitors to come.
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Author Notes
My 101-year-old mother-in-law lives in a Catholic senior facility with wonderful caregivers. We visit her at least twice a week; and like many of the residents there, she chooses not to socialize with others. I've been there before mealtime when many of the residents line up in the chairs outside the dining room and quietly wait for their meals.
Thank you for reading.
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