I asked my mother what time it was
before I knew what time was;
she laughed and asked if I had a hot date.
I need to know the time.
I don't know why, but I've always been that way.
I always wear a watch—
if by odd chance I forget
I drive myself insane glancing at my bare wrist.
If the clocks around me aren't set correctly,
I will reset them myself or
silently seethe at the inaccuracy.
I am an analog soul in a digital world,
envisioning the whole of the day
rather a single moment silently winking out of sight.
Analog time lacks the rigidity of digital time,
it doesn't seem to push forward in the same way.
When asked the time, the person with the analog watch
might say, “It's about quarter to three,”
but you will never hear that from the lovers of digital.
“It's 2:43pm,” would be more likely.
I don't need that in my life.
I need to know the time,
but I don't need that sort of pressure.
It's not like I'm racing to stop a bomb
or firing a rocket into space.
Life moves too quickly as it is,
old fashioned clocks let you savor the moments.
Sometimes they even seem to slow time.
Try watching a timed sports event these days,
with the athletes racing against digital time to hundredths of a second;
there's no savoring the moments at that pace.
Let us take some time to sit quietly,
side by side, with a cup of tea and a good book.
We can listen to the soft tick of the clock
and find time for peace.
~Elise Skidmore ©2019
