An Answer To The Question

Some say time is
a silver and gold bracelet
with a trinket to mark each event.
Here is a tiny ring, there is a cradle.
But I say no.
Some say time is a rosary
made of black onyx and amber,
handed down from your mother’s mother.
A thing to be touched reverently, with guilty fingers.
But I say no.
Some say time is
a hangman’s noose
all rough and hairy.
A punishment to be feared.
But I say no.
I say time is
a looping string of worry beads,
rainbow colored,
made of polished rocks
and spider’s webs
and safety pins,
sea glass,
sticky notes,
precious gems,
rubber bands,
and sweet hard candies.
--Sappho