Suggestion Box Poem by Terry Collett

It was there on the wall,
a suggestion box,
painted white
as if to symbolize
purity or honesty.

He watched others
write on slips of paper
their suggestions
and then push them through
the thin slit at the top.

It gave some
a sense of satisfaction,
a small smile appeared,
a feeling of awkwardness in some,
maybe they thought
the suggestion dumb
or maybe they’d put in
a series of four letter words
to convey annoyance or grudge.

He didn’t write himself,
didn’t want to waste his time
with words that wouldn’t change a thing,
knowing that maybe when
the box was emptied
it was cast into the refuse bin
without an eye scanning
a single word or set alight
and left to burn.

He watched as others
put in their slips of paper
hoping for a change
or great improvement:
he chose no comment.