Tick Tock Clock

torrents of water spill into the thin grey frame of my

water bottle

my own thirst-quenching brook

check the clock

half past eleven

nearly midnight

think back

way back

to times of timeliness and punctuality

I know these days no more

no stacks of paper

but stacks of doubt fill my mind

not good enough

not smart enough

not fast enough

when will enough be enough

I don’t have enough time

enough sleep

enough experience

these things take time they say

where has the time gone

one moment you know and the next you don’t

it is not enough to know

you must explain

explain to me why the time flies and humans do not

bits and pieces of dreams

day dreams

dreams spun up out of deep dark caverns long left to rot

dreams that have no place at a desk

or a school

or an office

dreams that start on a whim

and end at the teacher’s pointy finger

foolish they say

stay on track

stay focused

stay a little longer

stay at your desk

stay at your computer

stay and don’t go

but leave your world

leave your own and conquer a new one

think of the things you’ll see if only you leave

your realm of comfort lies 3 blocks down the road

and 5 million miles down to the bottom of your soul

seize it don’t wait

one more minute and you’ve lost it forever

but all i want is a forever

a forever with you

with me

with us

suddenly a loud echo as my head hits the desk

tick tock

check the clock

now 4 am

torrents of water rushing back into my brook

my haven

but no longer

back to work