Some polish to sliptoe against
the grain that rosewood has
when
it’s a box and
kidnap the little time it
takes to solder two times
together
in a locket for lockaway
seasons: a pocket
watch and inside
the insides of forget-me-nots
a nil-ado duet
for dauphine hands
tsk-tsk
trails off from cockcrow vibrato —
nickel inflicted on nickel
overhauls matins
again
and how many gimcracks
grit indifference
through clenched
teeth and carry on
for the all the alsos that make a day
how many hairspring
trigger pulls
from the slag heaps
— gearworks gone awry
pinions akimbo
a cicatrix where the rubies were
and scratched
sapphires crumble flecks of sun…
Snap the case back
back and close the lid:
a vapor of gold plate
as deep as luster
runs in this souvenir.