Being Before
I haven’t much time—
this clock has no face,
no heart, only hands
turning, one stroking
over another,
hour on hour
over minutes and
swimming in seconds,
interminable
in oceans of time.
I am aware I
am nowhere near as
important to you
as you are to me—
and forever will
cease being before
I will not miss you.
David M. Perkins
David M. Perkins’ three poetry
volumes: In From Forever, I May or May Not Love You, and Post-Modern
Blues are available from Ice Cube Press. His poems, reviews, and
essays have appeared in Luminaura, Cæsura, Oziana, Prosetrics, The Wild
Word, Willows Wept Review, Caveat Lector, Christopher Street
Magazine, and for the Wordsworth Trust (UK) among others. Onetime
bookstore owner and former university press publishing professional, he’s
currently owned by a blue-point Siamese cat named Wystan