Still They’ll Tick

Follow the time to see the break
from functioning to disconnect
in the clock it’s done with ease
but in the person that’s not the case

hands move through their space
when gears are keeping pace
spinning round to repeat again
when time is spent in good health

worn to nubs the teeth detach
no longer mated to each one
moving with no interface
wasted effort with frozen face

sadly people disconnect
then still move around the world
with emotions so alone
with nobody there to share

the key is turned to set the spring
spirals store the energy
the clock will run for days and days
when animation is conveyed

sadly the coils rust in place
bound in stillness for all time
out of order is clearly seen
when the hands move no more

people are not this way
they may seize and still display
talking, walking, thinking drones
even while they’re dead inside

in the end the clock exclaims
calamity has found its place
sadly people are not the same
they will break and still they’ll tick.

© 2017, Sean Green. All Rights Reserved. 20170202.

A friend shared the quote “the thing with broken clocks is you can tell exactly when they stop ticking.  With people it isn’t so easy.  Sometimes you can’t even tell they’re broken. (n.h.)”.  I played off of this and wrote the poem “Still They’ll Tick”.