Act of Time
J.L. Terrell

I've tasted bitterness
And kept some for myself
Stored it away
And covet it like honey

To this day

It clings to my body
I cannot rub it away
Nor sleep it off
Or scrub it in the drain

I need time
For
When the time comes
The torch
Will light the muck in me
Green
It is this message
Too late, too late

It is almost time
Little time
A penny's worth
Wasted on suckers
And the breath of spring
Or that river's breath
Carrying old smog away.

A slide of similar things
Twisted,
Like an eel in a moat
That will be dry someday
As the time shortens

And
Each old thread becomes a mystery
Where is it?
What was it?
And more come along
Running quietly by, with
The tide
And those shifting winds.

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