Time Piece Poem by Charlie Parant

when time got started
way back when
the sky kept track
for ancient men
it was either
dark or light
work all day
sleep all night

in grandpa’s day
time took its time
on antique clocks
you had to wind
a majestic timepiece
kept the rhythm
or a pocket watch
that he kept with him

then electric devices
came on the scene
minutes spit out
by silent machine
steadily
with no tick-tock
the seconds left
this soundless clock

now the time
is everyplace
dashboards, cell phones
in your face
contraptions without
moving parts
constantly glowing
in the dark

to show that life
is racing by
can’t avoid it
if you try
and you can only
sit in haste
and contemplate
the time you waste