The Clock With No Hands by Kelley J. White

Shall I choose a tattoo for you?

Perhaps you’d like a celtic band

or nepalese prayer, or even

a set of Roman Numerals

as if they’re numbering the ten

commandments. No, let them circle

like a clock. A clock that can’t tell

time. A clock with no hands pointing.

Saying nothing. Just the numbers

spinning round and round whenever

you try to take a breath.

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Pediatrician Kelley White has worked in inner-city Philadelphia and rural New Hampshire. Her poems have appeared in Exquisite Corpse, Rattle and JAMA. Her most recent chapbook is A Field Guide to Northern Tattoos (Main Street Rag Press) She received a 2008 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant.