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A Waist Is A Terrible Thing To MindMenu
Cover Story 
 

By Christine Forester • Pages 2– 5

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Grandfather clock.
Predictable.
Dependable.
Comforting Tick, Tock.
Chiming,
every hour on the hour,
loud reminder of time passing
yet so rhythmic
to be heard, unacknowledged.
Discreet reminder on the half hour,
soft nudges when the big hand reaches 3, 6, 9.
The numbers,
—whether curvaceous or rectilinear—
in sets of 60—or 12
cookie-cutter shapes,
dutifully in their place,
predictable,
dependable,
in circle,
collectively hit,
60 times an hour
by the passing of time,
witness to public joys
and private pains.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Have we come a long way
—or what?

•  •  •  •  •  •  •

time

 


Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Wristwatch for everyone,
on every one.
Men, women.
Indispensable appendage.
Time.
All the time.
Whether status symbol
or lifeline,
space invasion,
through the wrist,
to the inner echo of Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock
—without chimes.
60 minutes reduced to 12 numbers—or 4
bars in between,
concentric bars,
anonymous representations
of the familiar curvaceous or rectilinear shapes
condensing time awareness from 60
to 12 cookie-cutter increments
dutifully in their place,
predictable,
inexorable,
in circle,
tracking the passing of time,
witness to public joys
and private pains.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Have we come a long way
—or what?

•  •  •  •  •  •  •

 watch
 
Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick.
Digital tick
Digital tock.
Digital clock.
Standard time.
No more time
for personal time.
Anonymity of symbols.
Bars,
parallel bars,
perpendicular bars,
moving,
constantly,
in various trapping configurations,
dynamic mazes
moving, every minute,
every second,
allowing only the swift to find the exit
in time
for time.
Lying in wait,
we wait for the bars to line up
the next time around
hoping to find the exit,
in time,
for time.
But there is no time.
Time is now, with every Tick
and every Tock
of the clock,
witness to public joys
and private pains.
Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick.
Have we come a long way
—or what?

•  •  •  •  •  •  •

 

 

time

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Alarm clock.
Red alarm clock.
Alarming alarm clock.
Wake up call.
Wake-up!
It’s time.
It’s high time.
In the trapping of time
Let’s find time
to find our self
and each other,
in a circle,
concentric,
accepting,
enjoying
the passing time
—curvaceous, rectilinear or digital—
celebrating
the individuality
and the integrity
of shapes,
—curvaceous, rectilinear or digital.
Let us regain control
of the invasion
of time
of space
of inner space.
It’s about time.
It’s all about time.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Boom!
Will we come a long way
—or what?

A Cover Story—or The Story of a Cover
Copyright © 2000 Christine Forester

clock
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