I keep a pocket watch,
meticulously polished
and
insistently checked,
in my left breast pocket.

There it lives
on it ticks,
the soft clicks a reminder
of its continuous ticking
lasting far past the heart
that beats just below.

Toxically clean,
a faint scent of acetone drifts
on the wind as I walk pass,
head down and in a hurry.

I retreat quietly, gripping
the watch I rub in circles,
counter clockwise and
in compulsion,
an absent minded fidget
that helps panicked time pass,
it’s melodic clicks a
centering metronome.

"11:11, make a wish" i said quietly, staring down at the silver watch dangling from your wrist.

"how do you manage to catch every chance to make a wish?" you questioned.

"wishes mean a lot to me. theyre the only thing keeping me going," i answered honestly - a lot more honestly than im used to being.

you stared at me. not like the kind of way other people stare at me ; it felt nice.

"i dont know, its silly. but i like the idea of being able to want something really, really badly & getting it, instead of having to pray to some god. wishes dont always come true, but you know that going in. you dont blame the big guy in the sky if things dont turn out."

"i like that," you replied. "thats wholesome."

wholesome.
i'd never even heard anyone describe something as that.

"so what do you normally wish for?" you asked, locking eyes with mine. god, just your eyes take the breath out of me. i stalled, not knowing how to respond. i should just laugh it off, say something like "a lifetime supply of green pepper pizza".

"you," i whispered. i felt the red rushing to my face. my eyes jolted away from yours, searching for an escape from this too real situation. your watch. i stare at its face rather than yours. its soft tick, tick, tick is the only thing i can hear. one hand moves forward a position, & its 11:12.

"think its too late for me to make a wish?" you wondered aloud.

"never," i replied.

you held my hand, interlocking your fingers with mine.

"us."

Fluid rivers, their white noise and chilly inhaled lace
ease my mind's labyrinth, catching deep breaths
dancing in dreams of forest filled landscapes
like a child's security blanket, mother nature's embrace
we awake to marsh mellows and sticky coat hangers  
the dull, orange embers reignite purpose flames
as sunrise and coffee breaks the plains
a guitar lies naked near **** bottles of wine
reclaiming its tuning, strumming life into souls
and once the satsumas and the coffee's devoured
we bask in the sunshine, winding down hours
delaying the inevitable Watch Full Moon Tower

The watch I gave you on our 3rd year anniversary has suddenly stopped working


I wonder if our time is up too

As the Sun exclaims
farewell to the earth,
at beautiful crepuscule
is when true
animals come
out and decide
To feed on the
Emotions left
behind in forms
of golden yellows
and deep, bright
reds, which
light up the sky
like paintbrush
strokes, but fade
away so soon.