five months.
if I had known it would take that long,
I would have wished
to make the time
go faster.
hearings began.
this should be over quickly.
continued.
continued.
continued.
hours lost.
waiting.
heart beating in my throat.
palms sweaty.
anxiety.
frustration.
silenced—again.
I learned to pass the time,
but I could not train it
to move faster.
the room was silent,
but I could still hear the
tick,
tick,
tick,
of minutes passing.
minutes that were getting us
no closer to being finished
with this hell.
motion to continue.
objection.
continued.
this seemed so simple
at the beginning.
the end was in sight,
but now
it feels
like
we
will
never
get
there.
trial date set.
anger.
hopelessness.
I summoned every
ounce of strength
to go the distance.
to finish the marathon
I thought was a 5k.
hearing.
plea.
guilty.
it’s over.
finally.
little did I know
that the real hell
had just begun.