Tick, tock
Rewind the clock.
Iām standing in my living room
Looking out the window
Waiting for the guestsātheyāre coming soon
Feeling the familiar pang
Of fear before they all arrive
I donāt feel comfortable in my own
Skin. I guess Iāll just survive
ā¢
Fast-forward
Maybe twenty years
Iām crawling out from underneath
A darkness I couldnāt foresee
A long, slow night that cut my teeth
Now, up at dawn, my body strong
I feel a glint of something newā
My mind skips backward to that day
I clocked out for an hour or two
ā¢
Thump. Thump. Off in my head.
Streamers. Laughter. Little kids
I should be young, and having fun
Instead, I feel outdone, undid
Older than my seven years
The day theyāre here to celebrateā
I donāt feel like a little kid.
This canāt be my real birthday date
ā¢
But maybe Iām not old at all.
Maybe it was never me
In the corner, young, forlorn, I spy
The clock face watching me
He sees who I have always been
And also who Iāll one day be
Grandfather Clock has seen it all.
He understands the likes of me
ā¢
The body is just like a clock.
Our tissue has a memory
It records what we forget
It takes its stock of all, you see:
Feelings that we couldnāt feel
Experiences cast out to sea
Until a new song comes alongā
A rhythm that can set us free
ā¢
Tick, tock.
Reset the clock
Time stands still, and starts anew
Twenty-seven years have passed
Twenty since I was in that room
Prepare the streamers and the cake.
The guests will be arriving soon
Iām finally free of all the fear
Iāve held since I was in the womb
About the Creator
Joelle Eš
There is gold in every piece of your story āØ
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Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Comments (4)
This is even lovelier than the first few. Your words are such a joy to read. Keep zinging those great missiles we so love to read.
Ooooo, this was so deep and emotional! Very beautifully written as always!
This one is deep, Joelle. Thank you for your vulnerability. Also side note that I find exciting, we're the same age! (although, I'll be 28 in a month)
Ohhh Joelle šļøāØā¤ļø You drew me in completely with this. Such a powerful and dark melancholy vibe to open with, and you raised it completely at the end! Another masterpiece šļøāØ