Face, Hands
the hands of this clock
move with rhyme
but not reason
by rhythm
of beginning
and quiet surprise
before you learn a thing
about telling time
the hands of this clock
do not jerk
in five-step
but dance
in shifting circles, pulse
in foreign triplets
the hands of this clock
are mischief makers
time takers
globe shakers
beware the man
who severs these hands,
worse—
beware the woman
who demands it
.
Rachel Barga Simpson lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and three children. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, a master’s in Speech-Language Pathology, and zero accreditations in parenthood. Her poetry can be found in Ever Eden Literary Journal, In Parentheses, and here.
