me in the key of B major – im/patience
by richibi
“Patience“ (1542)
_______
if I would’ve, my mother said
if you what, I interrupted
if I would’ve, my mother said
if you what, I again interrupted
whereupon she became rattled,
disoriented, unable to even see
the sentence, never mind the
words therein swimming, in
very genetic accord with my
sister, see my sister
she took a deep breath, as I much
earlier, on another matter, had urged,
propped herself up, and corrected
herself, if I had, she said, and
continued her sentence with the
proper grammar, if I had, I would’ve
I was relieved, I sighed, surely, that
it hadn’t been the more obstreperous
if I wouldn’t’ve, another related error,
which would’ve required several more
deep breaths to unravel, I’m sure, a
chaos of conditionals confronting an
innocent enough negation can be a
not especially edifying sight
I am, as my father was, exacting, as
has always also been my mom, and
I have a hard time with incorrect
grammar, I cringe at it, much as they
did when I didn’t properly vacuum
their floor
now, of course, but before my new
housekeeper, I would go under the
rug and into all the even most
impracticable corners, a great
lesson having been learned
you’re too impatient, she had
complained, in a wretched voice
that expressed her distress
what do you mean, impatient, I
said, it had been about the
computer that time, how to
learn to use it, for people of a
certain age, it is a new, and
next to inscrutable, language
I was patient
I said take a deep breath, I said,
I said I have all in the time in the
world to wait, which I did, I said
just do it, she did it, and is now
comfortable at her computer
but I touch up her grammar now
and then, when it falters
my sister can also now, of course,
tell the time
I have prayed for patience, it is
the work of a lifetime, and it often
looks like impatience, even to
yourself
also the reverse
Richard
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