Clocks

In response to a 12th grader's request for free verse...

The clock jerks forward, second by second
A consistent circle of certainty spinning
and going nowhere and forward at once
Pushing me, unwilling, toward a finish line
- I cannot last and must inch, second by second,
toward that line of flowing gowns and
squared caps that marks the end
and beginning
A consistent circle of uncertainty spinning
and going nowhere and forward at once
Pushing me, willing, into inner space
- I cannot last and must inch, second by second,
away from playing in dress up gowns and
ball caps that mark a simpler time
both eschewed and desired

Wilson, 2011