Overclocked

Alarm.

Yesterday leaks into today like static

through frayed wiring– low battery light

blinking on the microwave,

blinking

blinking.

Calendar squares clench their jaws,

edges grinding down the days.

Hours ooze from the cracked clock.

Coffee cools, skins over, a mug ring orbiting

the same desk.

Keys land with an empty thud.

Winter light fractures through distant panes;

Bare trees idle outside, their branches stalled

mid-sentence.

The systems hold.

Grinding gears count breaths

A metronome ticks where a heart keeps time,

Joints click, switches flip, nerves braided tight with

wire. Clock hands spin, crack, and fall.

Hallways narrow,

leaning in.

Folding, folding.

Hours drip from the walls,

rain taps, taps, code stuttering against the window.

Maintence required. Ignore–

The clock sweats.

Ignore the–

Ignore the-

warning,

warning,

warning.