Passing Time
I watch the sunlight
As it slithers after its own shadows
Across my walls,
Leaving stroboscopic imprints
Of its movements
In egg-yolk oranges and Carnation yellows.
The sunlight glares at me.
It cuts edges off my body at stark angles,
As it passes through its infernal cycle.
In the morning, it filters in
Like the cooing of a newborn babe.
Paints itself sharp teeth on my ceiling midday.
And sets itself ablaze into the night,
At the end of the day,
Commanding every body to turn into dust and shadows.
It crawls away. Disappointed.
Dragging its muzzle with too little of my body in it.
It will come back, it promises.
Promises. Promises. Tomorrow.
Time ticks itself to death on my wall,
My nightstand, on top of my chest of drawers,
My phone, my computer,
The cave of my heart,
The creases on my face,
And on the valley of my palms,
As it, too,
Grows tired of me.
The bed, warm and omnipresent,
Always wins against time.
Date submitted: February 6, 2023
Date accepted: May 1, 2023
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