Time pieces

Eden time

They spent every day,
blissfully ignorant, in
amorous delay.

Temp time

Will I be alive
when the twelve-headed jailer
announces it’s five?

In a parched time

Clouds make this appeal:
the more you wait, the wetter
the water will feel.

Intermission time

Guilty admission:
this plunge from art to life’s a
painful transition.

Sleep time

Quick nap—but it seemed
an ocean of joys, a sea
of griefs that I dreamed.

Reunion time

Days passed like drugged snails.
I met you at the station,
laughed at their faint trails.

Just give it time

Though I frankly feel
better, there’s nothing sadder
than starting to heal.

Retronym time

Cheering: it was done.
But soon the Great War would be
renamed World War One.

Lately I haven’t had the easiest time

Overcathexis
has me asking clouds if they
know where my ex is.

The Marschallin returns for the third and final time

Ja, ja, so it goes:
I’ve got memories, but she’s
got the silver rose.

Ahab time

Though I do not thrive,
I confess I’ve never felt
so purely alive.

You get lucky from time to time

Once, in a mad rush,
I painted a blizzard that
blew away my brush.

Your donation sustains our efforts to inspire joyous rediscoveries.

Rachel Wetzsteon's (1967–2009) collection of poetry, Silver Roses, will be published later this month.

Topics: Poetry

Download