The woman is supposed to be here to arbitrate

But her opening sentence seems unnecessarily antagonistic

I am dressed down with hair dyed red, piled on my head

I’m wearing something with some stain, unnoticed until too late to change

The other party is smart, ready with a list and a clipboard

It all seems like a difficult end to a difficult year

The division and discussion forms something like negotiation

I’m lost in thoughts of change, unsure

The conversation fades in and out, city noise through the open window

Sunshine and warm memories of pleasure keep distracting me

I listen again, the list is agreed, some form of solution

A resolution of sorts, never again will I be here

These are the final days of the year that stretched out forever

Never again, I hold onto the moment, taste the sounds of a place

That wound its way into my world and formed

Into memories and daydreams that last me a lifetime

We shake hands, three strangers, whose lives touched

For one hour and the span of a life well spent