don't go home

are you home?
the clocks don't work, you tell me
rip them open at the seams and stuff the circuitry
stitch by stitch bend time to his will

it is another employee, nothing more.

cough delicately and remind me of my place
a scarlet jack-o-lantern peers through hooded eyes and reveals me to the world, still blinking
i am hydrochloric acid,
and i wait for a reaction

to be useful? nothing more.

are you home?
my watch has stopped
ten minutes more will be our forever
drip-drip from the ceiling onto my nose

i flinch.
i am sorry.
door hinges are so very rusty.

Author's Note

selected for publication in the Spring 2015 publication of the "Larcenist" poetry journal

Reviews

[dan]

Calliope, Bracketing time standing still into the rest of the write's somewhat abstract wording (and I mean that in a good way) seems to pull the piece together nicely. Your vivid wordplay and stark imagery add so much to the poem's meaning and flow. This is a very special write. I saw your friend request and I'm going right now to accept. Nice to 'meet' you. take care...dan

[Calliope]

Thank you for your insightful review, I appreciate your take on this, as well as your kind words. And thank you for accepting my friend request! It's nice to meet you as well.

[lenabean]

I absolutely love this. It is whimsical and delicately written but with something lurking behind it a that is a little more ominous as well. Your writing makes me fall in love with poetry all over again. Keep up the excellent work!

[Demii]

This is actually so interesting, you have so many different thoughts going on, and there's a lot of different aspects and perspectives you can take this in, really good read! Check out some of mine if you would like. :)