William Michaelian

Poems, Notes, and Drawings

Tag Archive for ‘Clocks’

Time and Shoes

It’s easy to live without clocks where there are none. My early childhood was one of those places. Now, in this childhood, I’ve hidden the clock on the computer. I wonder: was teaching me how to tell the time an act of kindness, or unwitting cruelty? And might I not ask the same thing about putting on and tying my shoes? In both instances, shouldn’t the teaching also have stressed, […]

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For Your Own Sake

Men seek wisdom, sunflower sprouts spring from the warming soil. * Rich or poor, for your own sake, ask yourself what you would do if money weren’t a concern. * Love is the sound the shovel makes. * Birch clock: the dead branch, the singing bird. * Cedar clock: the low branch, the rope swing. * Old or young, ask yourself what you would do if time weren’t a concern. […]

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Sunrise, Sunset

Call me old-fashioned, but when it comes to clocks, I far prefer the sun. It’s faithful and reliable, but not insistent. It acts one way in the forest, another in the desert, or on the valley floor. North, south — who could ask for more? Early? Late? For heaven’s sake — what is living for? . [ 1403 ]

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Warning Labels

Clocks — Use with caution. Frequent consultation may lead to the belief that time exists. Mirrors — Not for daily use. For a true reflection, give undivided attention to everyone and everything else. Scales — A preoccupation with body weight has been shown to have a detrimental effect on one’s outlook. Read entire booklet before activating Worry, Shame, and Ego settings. Not recommended for use between the ages of three and ninety-seven. . [ 1361 ]

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In the Interim

If I had no knowledge of clocks and calendars, how old would I be? If there were no one to tell me, would I be any age at all? But I do know. And since I do, I ask myself how this knowledge has shaped me. Has it limited my understanding? Has it expanded it? Has it done neither, or both? Moreover, I did not seek this knowledge. Like so […]

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Change Your Face

A very rough night — but I did intercept the pass; and if only the field were not so far below, I could have run to the goal line, instead of laboriously treading air until my much delayed, unnoticed, unheralded arrival. Such are the rewards of greatness. More disturbing, however, was the haunted figure intent on changing faces, the last of which was the full moon. Change your face, I […]

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Morning Call

Clocks are a great human tragedy. A faithful sun, enough for the rest of creation, is not enough for us. Imagine a play in which all of the actors carry clocks — through love scenes and in displays of assumed moral courage, both hands occupied, fingers absentmindedly caressing the worn shells of those insistent, demanding objects as if they were pampered pets — while the audience nervously taps its feet […]

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