The Genie-us crawled silently out of the old clock,
and climbed up the bookshelves at night

The Genie-us then read from the pages forbidden,
feeling shame with a ***** delight

The Genie-us returned as the sun came up,
crawling inside the tall clock in the hall

The old pendulum again swinging, the chimes reset
—until darkness anew comes to call

(Dreamsleep: April, 2020)