The Fatherhood of Clocks

Father of sand and water, quill of water, rope of sand, off the lip, through the waist, wells, brims, falls, dwells, mines, spills, mounts, fills, crumbled land, spun water, descends without hurry or haste.

Father of pendule and weights, disk of brass, porcelain circle, pondering hands cupping the face, swings (tick) and back (tock), brushing by X, V and I of the figurnumbered face, of the meshing wheels, serrating minutes, excising moons.

Father of gold, set with jewels, roman numeralled, with milled winder, front window glazing, back-lid carving, hung from the fob by a golden chain, adding the chime of gracenotes to time, the seconds, digesting the hours, sowing the minutes, plucking the day.