Astonished

These are the words I’ve chosen for this month’s Cafe Writing Option Three: Pick Three: astonished, drown, time.

Drowned in his own sleep, he watches the hand of time
spin forwards until
he is an old man with arthritic hip and hunched shoulders
fighting for intakes of breath.

Drowned in his own breath, he watches the hand of time
spin backwards until
he is a laughing baby with plump cheeks
kicking his legs against his mother’s hand.

Drowned in his mother’s love, time is endless,
day stretches after day until
one day he is astonished to learn that
time is never deceived.