Waiting for the Bellhop There she stood in the lobby How grand was the Hotel de Vie Not knowing where he could be She looked everywhere but could not see Hours passed, then days Watching others enter the lift Misty eyed through the haze From one foot to the other she would shift Days passed, then years As the world slowly spun round Comforted by the memory of tears Bled from joys lost and found Years passed, then death How long had she waited To breathe her last breath Guarding those bags she hated Alone to his room he had rushed Packing light he bounded the stairs Remembering how she’d blushed With quivering lips and soul bare Hours passed, then days Waiting for her to arrive Marveling as he counted the ways Her love helped him to survive Days passed, then years As the roses wilted and died Held prisoner by his fears On love he still relied Years passed, then death Alone in his room he’d wept As Browning had for Elizabeth The promise of happiness unkept If only she’d left her suitcases there If only he’d known how heavily they weighed Perhaps there’d have been more to this sad affair And together they’d have grayed. But the Bellhop never came To carry away the baggage she’d brought Never quite feeling the same They’d lost a battle unfought.