Jason Baldinger: time is dead

time died three weeks ago
it went quietly
no friends or family
by the bedside
no obituary
no news
no soundbyte
 
I heard a reputable source
say it had been terminal
for a undefined period
what killed it is unsure
autopsy inconclusive
it had been stretched thin
since the industrial revolution
when people were lined up
at the nearest clock
told they should punch it
that if they did
they'd be given value
and meaning although
that value was never
commensurate with the value 
they previously held
 
seems strange now
that time is dead
how lost strangers
are without it
they walk streets
enjoying sun
confused without structure
every second
evaporates nameless
shuddering without definition
trying to establish
whether to grieve
or put another
system in its place
 
time is dead
the future is uncertain
if only because its past
meaning can't be retained
 
time is dead!
time is dead!
freedom for us!

--
 
First published by Winedrunk Sidewalk