Time by Charles Bukowski
one collapses and surrenders
not out of choice
or lack of intelligence
or bad teeth
or bad diet
one surrenders
because that’s the BEST MOVIE
around.
once I was so disgusted
with the working of things
that I dialed the time
and listened to the voice
over and over again:
“it’s now 10:18 and 20 seconds
it’s now 10:18 and 30 seconds…”
I didn’t like the voice
and I didn’t care what time it was
yet I listened.
satisfied now
I’m glad somebody stole my last watch
it was so difficult to read
satisifed now
I’ve got a new one
it has a black face and
white hands
and I sit there and watch
the second hand
the minute hand
the hour hand
as outside
caterpillars crawl my walls
and finally fall
like empires
like old dead loves
and new loves
fall.
night’s best
with my black-faced watch
with white hands.
