The Elevator

Alexandra Schwartz
2023

In the heart of the elevator, solitude can be found.  
The hospital’s center of attraction, where silence is crowned. 

As I entered the empty elevator at the fifth floor, 
I could not help to notice, I felt more lonely than before. 

I anxiously pressed the ground button labeled with a black star,  
Then leaned up against the wall knowing that I would not get far. 

The elevator was like quicksand, yet stopping me at floor four, 
Where I encountered a doctor, ready to enter the steel door.  

Embracing the silent nature that resided between thee,  
Pinning in anticipation, we traveled down to floor three. 

Greeted by a father and mother with children of their own, 
The mother hushed them to be quiet as she spoke on her phone. 

As the doors glided shut and we journeyed to the second floor, 
I was crowded by strangers who I had never seen before. 

A moving destination so empty, yet heavy in weight, 
Showcased where disconnection held its top primary estate.  

As each floor introduced new faces ranging from young to old, 
I could not help but notice a narrative was never told. 

Although the symphony of breaths humanized the confined space,
I could not imagine a more socially isolating place.