Five to Ten Minutes

So you have five to ten minutes,
What can you do with them?

You can look out of your window
and look into the clouds swishing on the gray sky.
Or maybe just look at the crystal window glass and
the icy , needle raindrops scattered haphazardly.

You could sip a few warm bites of the Latte
you just ordered from Starbucks or simply
wait for Ben who is buying you lunch.

You could look at that old glass bottle
at the corner of your office and think
of your high school chemistry class.
Of Lena who you simply loved
but she never ever looked back.
Of Jacob who pestered you
when you did the tedious titrations.

You could also call Halie
Who sits in the office next to you ,
Close your eyes and submit yourself
to the passion of the carnal connection
that you share with each other.

Maybe you could drop by the library
And pick up that copy of "The Alchemist"
Which you wanted to read since who knows when.

Ideally you should do two lines of coding
As time increases, diffusivity increases
Or something like that.

If you are someone like me,
You could also start a poem,
finish writing one or make
another one incomplete.

Or you could transpond to the memory
which you revisit every now and then.
The first time two lips met,
the first time two bodies entwined
Of how it was perfect and
Yet how it never lasted.
Oh her thought.

There is so much you could do and
so little you can
In just those few minutes....

Knock. Knock. Ting.
Your office door opens
You see a smiling Ben standing
by the doorway holding two boxes.
You realize you have spent
Ten minutes of your life.

© Nothing Personal. November 02, 2010.

Reviews

[Alex W]

I like the meaning of this one, makes me think that we shouldn't think things too much as life goes by far too quickly!

Good piece, thought it went along nicely. Would have liked to see a little rhyming but i'm a very simple poet who likes his rhymes lol.

Nice write :-)

[Mark]

An interesting viewpoint, NP. You will find, as you approach my age, that those wasted 5-10 minutes will soon compress into unaccounted-for 5-10 months. I am assuming, by your familiarity with the terms titrations and diffusivity the latter a new one on me!), that you (or at least, your protagonist) are a chemist or a physicist, trying to recollect how the time has passed which brought you to this place in your life; that, too, grows harder with the passing decades. But at least you paid attention in Chem class, which is more than I did! Clever wrap-up, too, as if, when Ben called and offered to go to the commissary, and could he bring you up something, you set a timer; a game, perhaps, because he is always so annoyingly prompt? Very thought-provoking read.

[Misty Blue Eyes]

i have wasted all these 5-10 minutes.shame on me.. great write

[Akshat♥]

after reading this short story(or poem)..i imagine how i wasted so many 5-10 minutes daily....
but then i thought ...is it fine to do this forever...
in 5-10 min u can do many things like making new friends,writing poems,
winning a chess game,make someone happy,introspection,
review a short story...many more
this story tells so many things in a unique way...
description is nicely done...easy to understand..
funny elements are also there...
i am looking forward to see more of your work..
great job:)

[.]

. ohhhh ... my apologies ... the blue flutter by shall be in your mail in 2 ... :) ...

[Nothing Personal]

Hey Serah with one 'e' and one 'a' :-) Actually your review hadn't come up while i was writing the review reply to other friends. And that reply was intended for Sarah.
Now that i see your review (finally) :-) , i would say "Thank you". Please paint a blue flutter by for me. I would love that.( At least for 10 minutes)

[.]

. you're very welcome ... and i'm s-e-r-a-h ... one e ... one a ... :) ...

[Nothing Personal]

Thank you Sarah. Reviews inspire. Keep reviewing. I will try to keep writing ;-)

[.]

. haha! ... biting brutal ... but exquisite poetry ... and these lines are just out of this world brilliant ...

If you are someone like me,
You could also start a poem,
finish writing one or make
another one incomplete.

. plus ... if you're me ... you could also paint a blue flutter by ... especially when there's power outage in india ... :) ...

[Nothing Personal]

Thanks Dushyant. You have been one of my most ardent followers. You have reviewed everything i wrote. Thanks again. Your opinions are truly special to me. Yeah i prefer writing poems over stories and the thin line between prose and poetry is often overcome when i write. I'm Glad it gives you time to ponder what to do with little bits of time.