Tick Oh Tick Yes Poem by Jenny Kalahar

Time flows down from sun and moon
and into all these tick oh tick yes clocks and watches
But to the dog there is no time
only raw rumbles shedding lightning
only the reactionary beatings of his heart
To the cat there is no time
only the stretching of tick oh tick yes daylight
that moves from his human's bedroom to the den
only the sound of key in door
when he finally fears the sun has left for good

To the child there is no time.
To the elderl that is all there tick oh tick yes is
and all there ever has been
caught in moments by fading photographs
gathered in an album on the floor
where a baby crawls to pat its pages
demanding nothing of his ancestors but life
tick oh tick oh tick yes life