Frankenwatch Poem by Nika McGuin
Frankenwatch
They say the clocks tick by cruelly
they say the time flies truly
If I could ask time to read my clock face
to see through me like an automatic skeleton watch
just what would he see,
what time would it be
These hands of mine
appear to mark the hours of my life
seem to move with purpose
but to what unknown
and to what end
or would this timepiece simply be serviced
And start again?
as much newness as the future lends
it greedily takes away just as much
will I then be a frankenwatch
composed of old gears and face
but new case, shiny bezel,
shiny lugs and crown?
If so, then I'll take it
I'll take what little
of my clockwork soul I can keep
for to die every few years
like some cheap quartz watch
and have my dead battery replaced
I couldn't bear it, I wouldn't -
be me any longer
Is it not the same
as being possessed?
Also, if you did not pick up on the definition of 'Frankenwatch' from the poem itself then: Frankenwatch is lingo created by watch collectors. It is basically a watch that doesn't contain all of its original parts. It may have its original body but some wrist straps from a different company altogether.
Also if you were a little confused by the terms such as: case, bezel, lugs, and crown - they are all simply parts of a wristwatch. I'll include a photo to help explain that.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/4/2024 9:33:11 PM # 1.0.0.1119
(Codes aren't working for me - delivery denied. Damn.) This is a brilliant poem. Both the philosophical message about time and integrity is well thought out and the imagery/figurative language that carries that meaning is so impressive. Every word in your poem contributes to its meaning. What formal perfection! Two passages stand out for me as expressing the meaning and illustrating the technique. AS MUCH NEWNESS AS THE FUTURE LENDS/IT GREEDILY TAKES AWAY JUST AS MUCH. That is so sharply and precisely stated, there's no wiggle room, no reason for protest, the other side - TIME - has won. What's left for us to do? Your response is equally precise and dignified, namely, I'LL TAKE WHAT LITTLE/OF MY CLOCKWORK SOUL AS I CAN KEEP. Compared to Time's Big Victory, this is a small victory. B-U-T it preserves our soul - as you put it, our CORE - so that we have a moral if not temporal victory. This poem is brilliant! !