The Pendulum

the pendulum

swings

sweeping aside

minutes of time

casually

oblivious of

its devastating

effect on me

swinging

swinging

to and fro

mocking me

taunting me

 

tick, tock

tick, tock

pendulum swings

inside the clock

 

ire builds

within me

the incessant

tick-tock

will not stop

sweat beads

upon my brow

heartbeat

in my ears

resounds

my fists clench                      

a futile attempt 

to preserve my

last

bit of sanity     

                   

tick, tock

tick, tock

pendulum swings

inside the clock 

 

 

I search the room

in a furor

before my mind’s

completely gone

the answer lies

in the mirror

something

there all along

I rise from my chair

and stand

my fists relax

my heart slows

what is this

within my hand?

only

for me to know

 

tick, tock

tick, tock

pendulum swings

inside the clock

 

its bravery

on loan

from glass

it lives behind

in which my face

is shown

can’t fool

my clever mind

I savor the moment

breathing deep

tonight my mind

will at last know sleep

 

tick, tock

tick, tock

pendulum swings

inside the clock

 

the pendulum swings

my hammer is swung

the glass is shattered

and silence is won

 

Reviews

[~ Tex]

Ah, the ancient Taiwanese Tick Tock Torture Technique; distant cousin of the Chinese Water Torture, but much less messy and certainly doesn't waste valuable water resources! LOL

I've always loved Poe, so this sounds very much like Poe and I think old Edgar Allan would appreciate this write too. In fact, he had a short story entitled The Pit and The Pendulum... so his penchant for the dark and repetitive would surely draw him to read and applaud your piece.

[Captain Blackheart (The..]

Thank you for smashing it.....that constant tick tock was driving me crazy.lol
Wow I liked this...it really worked I could imagine the ticking going on and on.......A great Job!

[Tamme]

I like how you use repetition to build the anxiety that time passing often creates. Excellent writing.

[None]

Time is man-made. We never seem to have enough of it.
I really like the following lines: "the answer lies in the mirror something in its reflection all along." and also
"its bravery on loan." A very clever write!

[*~Imperfectly Me~*]

I like this!!! I like the repetition of
"tick, tock
tick, tock
pendulum swings
inside the clock" Great write!