Time And Common Sense Philosophy Poem by Patrick VincentBrown

Time And Common Sense Philosophy



One day I was stopped by a man. He
Had the face of a Mexican bandit;
Brown as tequila and as round as a
Clock. Or maybe he was an Andean

Herder of llamas who lamented the
Heights. With the throaty voice of someone
Who had eaten the worm and English
So broken that no kings, horses, nor men

Could mend it, he asked with a slight smile:
'Please, what is time? '
From soaring heights my genius came to ground
To sweep up his query and write my answer

In the sky. I replied: 'Time, you see, is the
Celestial movements of the firmament. The
Shifting of the smoldering stars; the ebb
And the flow of the sandy shores; the surge

And receding of your Mind. Time is the
Limitless limit. It is the pendulum
Of your coyest lover's undulating heart.
It is more but we haven't time to say.'

On the same day I met another man.
He had a Socratic brow as heavy as
The dome above that lent it the weight.
His face and brow were etched with lines, engraved

By his hours and days like a complex map
To guide me to where he stood at this moment.
With grave import he asked me the question:
'What is time? '

With just the smallest of thought, I replied:
'Dear Sir, you obviously want to know
The hour of the day. I can help you here.
If you want to see one raise a wrist,

You must learn the way it is asked. You must
Rather ask 'What time is it? ' It is just to
Our form of living that you must abide;
Just a tweak of the language.' I said this

With affection and care. I then walked on
Admiring my two hats. The upturned
Corners of my smile must have looked like
The minute hand at ten and the hour on two.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Fiona Davidson 15 December 2008

Very clever poem this one Patrick...I like it...thank you

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