Customers

Courthouses and hospitals 
doctors and judges 
the walls claustrophobically closing 
with institutional muted colours 
 the wheezing 
rasping like a file 
 " we can deal with this 
you and I
we've been through worse 
 you are learning all my secrets 
  from heart to hearse ".

Spilling out 
the hand reaching through the wall 
escaping the asthma of acknowledgement 
my heartbeat is slowing 
the page is setting me free 
allowing me
all these years 
later
to walk through the double glass doors 
with all the other 
customers .