Doug Sylver

When the Time Comes

I’m in the kitchen, rinsing my breakfast almond butter off a dish before putting it into the dishwasher. People tell me it’s unnecessary, redundant. I do it anyway and reach for my coffee cup. 

You’re in the bathroom, brushing your teeth, running late. You have to go to work. I don’t. Lucky me, I know. But soon, fairly soon for you, too. You know. Not wanting to interrupt and put you further behind schedule, I rinse the cutting board, the butter knife. Place them in the dishwasher.

waiting to
give you a hug 
staring at
the digital clock 
ankle-deep in quicksand

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About the Author

Doug Sylver’s writing can be found in Drifting Sands, The Sun Magazine, The New York Times, and Fixator Press, among other publications. He is a recently retired public high school teacher and lives with his love, Monica, in Seattle.

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