Clocks

If you’re like me you have a lot of clocks in your life, clocks tangible and those that are purely internal. They are representations of our very existence wrought out in metal glass or plastic, tools we cherish, ignore or curse at.
One of my internal clocks wakes me nearly every morning around 8:30. I don’t know how it does that. I have tried to shut it off but the program is embedded.
I also have a nagging internal clock. It’s the kind of clock that has a habit of going off when you least expect it. I’m strolling down the sidewalk and I catch the reflection of a middle aged woman wearing my clothes, or I cross a bridge I have crossed a hundred times and I feel suddenly overwhelmed by the water passing underneath, that’s when I hear it ringing loudest. I could hear it ticking now if I pause to listen but that usually makes me melancholy.

Here is my grandmother’s wristwatch given to her on her wedding day. I use to wear it daily but have given up watches for a season.

My kitchen has a vintage Westclox. It makes a warm humming sound but still keeps perfect time.

I was given this wind up alarm by a friend. I leave it stopped at five minutes before two. That’s just enough time to grab a snack before General Hospital.
I even have a broken clock from my daughter. Its battered face reminds me that no matter how run down I feel, I have another clock, an Eternal Clock that never runs out of time.