Ticking and Tocking
--Ron Padgett 

When people say
“Time is running out”
I see an alarm clock
with a bell on top
and with arms and legs
dashing out the door
of a room in which
time has stopped
reminding the human race
that we are running out. 

I carry this idea
to a corner of the room
and set it down
gently.
I don’t want
to wake it up.
Then I tiptoe away.