Buck-knife Meditations

He placed me down to pass the time
to prolong the pleasure
measured in the pain of those elastic hours

so that I would not force his hand
though finely tuned it hammers nonetheless
in soft whispers
quite a bit better than it ever has before

an eclipse before the revelation
a shadow passing over the land
quiet solace in the cockpit
wherein the earth has tempered tremors

for we are in this together
we sharpen one another but cannot
outpace the other
there only the dull edge follows
buck-knife hellions catch loose eyes
but the dagger slips silently beneath the ribs.

TA