Dave Bonta's short poem describes a feeling of stepping outside ordinary life. The speaker says that "a strange time" has called them "out of the world," and the phrase "clock by clock" suggests this happens gradually, one tick or one hour at a time, rather than all at once. The title, "Dreamtime," fits: this is time that doesn't run by the usual rules.
After that, the poem turns to the body. The speaker lives in "a sufficiency of parts," as if they were an assembly of pieces: old hands, an ear, a heart. Nothing is whole or grand, but it's enough. The final image, a heart "as cheerful as a bed," is odd and warm. A bed is a place of rest and comfort, so the heart feels calm and unbothered.
The mood is quiet, content, and a little dreamy. The speaker seems to accept age and withdrawal without sadness, finding ease in simple things.