He walks the earth
placing the minutes
in his pockets
like shiny pebbles
plucked from a river,
and grows heavier,
dragging his feet,
but still bending
to pick them up.

He holds them aloft,
inspects their color,
runs calloused fingertips
over their polished surface,
then stuffs them in
with the others.

He shuffles along
like a man twice his age,
pockets overflowing.