A Poll Worker

A Sonnet

Photo by William J Spirdione

The lines stretched around the polling places.
Eyes wide open with anxious excitement.
Streets backed up for miles, no parking spaces.
Voters behaved, no sign of incitement.

A poll worker wakes, before the sun rises.
Election morning finally arrives.
Gets dressed, drinks coffee, no new surprises.
With hope, the clerk gets in his truck and drives.

Sign in, sworn in, workers get ready, wait.
Doors open, lines form, masked swarms shuffle in.
Names, addresses, faces to contemplate.
Workers can’t let voters’ patience wear thin.

There’s plenty of time for pacing the floor,
Orderly process continues some more.