The Hourglass Maker
My occupation here
is to put air on sand
into hourglasses,
breathing time into curved glass.
There are certain formulas for the careful extraction.
The air must be pulled from precise locations-
The small passage near the left ventricle of the heart.
From tiny pockets between vertebrae of the upper spine.
And there are cavities behind the eyes,
air is brought in and stored there,
not by breath but by glance.
this last location is also the hardest,
the eyes must be seared by horrific sights
to produce and harvest spit tears
that are then destructive-distilled for their contents.
All of which are breathed in
to be breathed out
into the hourglass.
--John Hamilton
I had to put down Mr. Boo yesterday. He had advanced cancer. Mr. Boo loved John more than anything. He would only sleep under his side of the covers. After John died Mr. Boo spent a little bit more time with me and I would look at him and remember all the silly times John and Boo played together--bittersweet memories. I told the vet about John and how I cut some fur from all our cats and buried it with John in his pocket. I cut some fur for me yesterday and cried for the loss of both of them.
Ashley
