The second hand of the clock
at the dry cleaners is racing
I notice it as she’s charging
my card just over ten dollars
the minimum fee
most second hands go tick-tick
even if the ticking is a silent measure
you see its discrete steps
a mechanical resistance
against forward motion
but this hand is liquid
a Dali-esque melting
racing around the dial
ten minutes a second
so fast I look at my phone
to check the speed of time’s passing.