Collecting Time Poem by Hans Ostrom

I keep weeks in closets,
months in a rented garage.

I've misplaced a crucial week
from June 1979. I can't count
the number of other weeks
I've never gotten my hands on.

Somehow I ended up
with someone's else's
January 1826. It may well
be my favorite piece.

I had a chance to bid
on a fortnight from 1902,
but three days were missing.

People ask me, they say
why do you collect different
units of time? I wish I had
a good answer. Some day

I'll do something with all
these weeks and months.
In the meantime,
I need to find more space.


hans ostrom 2016