THE RURAL HOURS

Q: What does the clock say?

A: Does it:

a)    Chime with chipper melodic intonations
b)    Gong loudly, a timber of vibrations you can feel from the inside out?

Or does it:
a)    Mark time in some unusual manner? With a hummingbird flitting forward, the machinations of charm and whimsy?
b)    Does it interrogate fear? Is it about preservation or exploration?

Perhaps it is:
a)    A theme or an idea. An encapsulation of a moment, or
b)    A memory.

Or does it:
a)    Offer gratitude?
b)    Disrupt or reframe how we see traditional narratives?
c)    Punctuate new beginnings, mark a moment of transition?

In other words, it is:
a)    Reevaluating the definition of space, sharpening the fuzzy outlines of stability.
b)    The summary of damage, as the water pours through the walls.
c)    Realizing this is not a metaphor.