Waiting Room

Poem inspired by John 9, written in a hospital

Waiting Room

John 9

Anxious questions swirl around
diagnoses and procedures.

I've walked these halls personally 
and professionally for years.
Memories and outcomes blur
in my psyche and prayers;

the same spaces and hospitals,
hoping for different results. 

Still, I worship God
who longs to heal us, 
open our eyes, 
and make us whole; 

to give access to care
and occasional miracles. 

Christ, come to find us,
like a doctor approaching
a loved one in a waiting room
to bring good news,

so we might believe and 
see the light of the world. 

Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

John 9 is a complicated theological story and I struggled to write a poem about it. I drafted this piece in a hospital waiting room and have revised it over and over again—for months. I’m still not sure it’s ready to share, but need to move on, knowing I can return to it later with fresh eyes and new insight.

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Other poems in my series inspired by the Gospel According to John

Word with God (1:1-14)
First Sign (2:1-11)
Bride (3:29)
She Said by the Well (4:5-42)
Searching Scripture (5:39-40)
Chase After that Full Feeling (Ch. 6)
What was Coming (Ch. 7)
Free Truth (Ch. 8)
Extravagant Scent (12:1-13)
Voice of Truth (Ch. 18)
Resurrection (Ch. 20)
Come Have Breakfast (21:1-17)

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Q: What associations do you have with waiting rooms and hospitals? When have you experienced healing? Email your reply or comment on the Substack app.

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