# The Clock Learns to Breathe
*(from the series: clockwork)*
The clock learns to breathe
when no one is watching.
Tick becomes pause,
pause becomes something like mercy.
> Time behaves differently
> when it is not observed.
I place my ear against the wall
and hear minutes shedding their armor.
They soften.
They forget their duties.
---
I was told time moves forward
like an arrow,
but arrows require aim
and no one can explain
who is holding the bow.
---
**Some hours are blunt.**
They bruise rather than cut.
Others slip between ribs
and leave no mark at all.
---
| Hour | Weight |
|------|--------|
| Dawn | Light |
| Noon | Crushing |
| Night | Unmeasurable |
---
If I could rename the seconds,
I would call them *guesses*.
```text
tick
guess
guess
tick