Most of the time, I haven’t had time
In general, time has not been there to hold me
For much of my life, I haven’t felt that I am special to time
I have rarely had time give me sound advice
I find myself clinging to time because I am afraid it will leave
I need time so much I worry about losing it
I worry that time will abandon me
When I feel time pulling away from me, I get desperate
Sometimes I am so worried about time I think I drive it away
I feel that time will take advantage of me
I can’t let my guard down in the presence of time
It is only a matter of time
I am quite suspicious of time
I am usually on the lookout for time’s ulterior motives
I don’t fit into time
I’m fundamentally different from time
I’m a loner when it comes to time
I have a difficult time demanding that my rights be respected by time
I’m the one who usually ends up taking care of time
Am I a good person because I think of time more than myself?
I am too self-conscious to show others how I waste time
A Spatula and Some Windex
Mary Ruefle
Mary Ruefle is the author of, most recently, Dunce. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2017 Aiken Taylor Award in Modern American Poetry.