The Clockwork Man

The clockwork man stops his clockwork steps & comes to rest beside a clockwork flower.

His clockwork dog wags his clockwork tail & pulls at the lead to chase a clockwork bird.

The clockwork bird flees up a clockwork tree, while the clockwork man sits on a clockwork bench.

His clockwork eyes admire the clockwork flower as the clockwork flower shines in the clockwork sun.

The clockwork man sighs a clockwork sigh that echoes the pain in his clockwork heart.

In his clockwork brain he ponders clockwork thoughts, musings of several clockwork regrets.

The clockwork flower starts to fall, & the clockwork dog is slowing down.

The clockwork man hears his clockwork gears are also coming to their clockwork end.

With his last clockwork effort, he reaches out with clockwork hand, to wind the clockwork flower straight & turn the cogs of the clockwork dog.

The clockwork flower stands once more & the clockwork dog can run again.

The clockwork man smiles a clockwork smile. He's done all he can do. His clockwork gears are getting tired, it's time he drifted into a clockwork sleep.

The clockwork sun begins to set as his clockwork head follows suit.

But before his clockwork wheels can cease, he feels the touch of a clockwork caress.

"No, not yet," whispers a clockwork voice into his clockwork ear.

His clockwork gears spring to life as though he is young once more, and he jumps up quickly on his clockwork feet & gives a shout of clockwork glee.

He turns & sees standing before him a clockwork lady in a clockwork dress.

She glows so bright in the clockwork light he cannot help but stare a clockwork stare.

Then, something happens to his clockwork heart, something wonderful. The clockwork ticks tick no more, replaced by the beats of flesh & blood.

His clockwork world fades away & he takes the lady's hand.

Now two hands hold each other tight, two hands of flesh & blood.

*

The End

*

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction and focuses on retro-futuristic technology that's based off the steam-power trend of the 19th-century. Basically, I tell people to think of it as being a genre depicting what the future might have looked like to someone who lived in the 19th-century.

I am a huge fan of steampunk; the technology, the fashion, the music, the stories... all of it. There's something gritty and dark about it that really appeals to me. But - and I don't know if it's just me who feels this way - there's also something melancholy about it; something that hints at lonely nights and broken hearts, mysteries unsolved and terrible tragedies. Of course, there is something whimsical and romantic about it, too; something that speaks of sex and tobacco, true love and happily ever afters, magic and destiny. The combination creates a thoroughly enticing environment - at least for me anyway. While I tend towards the dark and gritty side of things, I can weave sex and magic through pretty much anything - if I so desire - so, I feel like steampunk is a genre that perfectly represents who I am.

This poem was obviously inspired by steampunk. Sometimes we can feel quite mechanical, or like our gears are winding down. We can slip into autopilot mode where we are just going through the motions of life without any real thought or passion, and all the time we are reminded that everything ends, that the gears eventually stop spinning. But there are some things that endure; kindness, love, compassion. By showing someone kindness, love or compassion, you encourage them to also show these qualities to others, creating a domino effect with the momentum to break through the judgements, the hate, the loneliness... all the negative bullshit we see so much of in the world today. It's like winding up the gears to bring new life and energy to someone who may have been feeling like they were rusting away, crumbling under too much strain or pressure. We're all in this together. No one person can do everything on their own, nor are they meant to. Yes, we are all different and unique, but that only means that we all have something special to bring to the table that others do not. Together, we should be a team capable of endless possibilities. There's no "i" in "team," because TOGETHER, as a TEAM, we are STRONGER.

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If you read this and are finding the idea of steampunk rather interesting, here is a list of books, movies and bands that you might enjoy checking out.

Books:

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

The Time Machine by H.G Wells

Movies:

Mortal Engines

Golden Compass

Wild Wild West

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

City of Ember

Sherlock Holmes

Bands:

Abney Park

Steam Powered Giraffes

Vernian Process

The Clockwork Dolls

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Love Chan xx

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