time's door

arqios

 

 

a fire does not burn 
but waits, contained in the hearth
as shadows lengthen behind portraits
of people no one names aloud

alfred peels the orange
not because he is hungry 
but because morning requires rhythm
and rhythm is an anchor when cities howl

on the news: a rooftop chase
voices glitch through static
they speak of masks
as if they were weapons, or skin

in the hall— 
a coat is hung back on its hook 
with rain that 
never reaches this far up the hill

and in the study 
the grandfather clock ticks 
not as time 
but as a door

 

 

 

 

 

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Comments12

  • arqios

    Oh nice, first Fave of the day, thanks Friendship. ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ

  • arqios

    May this read feel like the hush before a revelation that may never arrive, yet somehow always has been there all along. Enjoy!

  • sorenbarrett

    Time, rhythm or laws of order, interruptions masked in static of lack of understanding, protection hung up because it is not needed all compartmentalized as if in different rooms, and time is the door to understanding and passing though this compartmentalization. Maybe a time when we ill understand the ritual and the masks will fall and the static tune into clarity, where the coat will no longer be needed and the door of time will open. How is that for a wild and bizarre interpretation my friend?

    • arqios

      Wild? Yes. Bizarre? Perhaps. But insightful? Absolutely.
      Your reading turns the poemโ€™s images into thresholds rather than end points; time becomes not backdrop but a passageway toward deeper understanding. The static, the coat, the separate rooms: these all speak to hidden divisions within the self or society, held in place until awareness unlocks them. This isn't stillness but quiet containment, poised for transformation. It feels like a prelude to revelation, where familiar rituals dissolve and what seemed divided becomes whole.
      Far from bizarre, I'd call your interpretation quietly radical. And most heartily appreciated.๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ

    • arqios

      Thanks for the Fave @sorenbarrett

    • Poetic Licence

      A clever observation of daily ritual for many but I suspect these are the doors we put in place, and they are doors we use to block out rather than open and let in, keeping us contained in what we are accustomed to, enjoyed the read

      • arqios

        Oh, very nice take there; I love it!!! Brilliantly put ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ

        • Poetic Licence

          You are very welcome

        • arqios

          Thanks for the Fave @Poetic Licence

        • orchidee

          It's about a quarter past Summer now - or is it half-past Spring?! I dunno what year it is even. lol.

          • arqios

            It we know we are still here; or are we, really ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ

          • arqios

            Thanks for the Fave @Damaso

          • Tristan Robert Lange

            This is quietly stunning, dear poet and friend. Every detail feels intentional (and I know it is)โ€”anchored in stillness yet humming with tension beneath. That final image? Chilling in the best way. Youโ€™ve created a whole world in just a few stanzas. Beautifully done. ๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ๐ŸŒง๏ธ๐Ÿ–ค๐ŸŒน

            • arqios

              Thanks my friend , was attempting to make the final image the centrepiece. Much appreciated ๐Ÿ•Š๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป

              • Tristan Robert Lange

                You are most welcome! Really, really enjoyed it!

                • arqios

                  Cheers mate ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ

                • Mottakeenur Rehman

                  Your poem weaves stillness and unease so beautifullyโ€”each image lingers like the clock's haunting tick. The quiet rituals and unspoken tensions create a world both familiar and unsettling. Masterfully done.

                  • arqios

                    Thanks MR๐Ÿ•Š๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป

                  • Thomas W Case

                    Tremendous work.

                    • arqios

                      Most appreciative, Thomas. ๐Ÿ•Š๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป

                    • David Wakeling

                      This is an abstract view of Time which really is an abstract notion.I mean Past and Future are not real in any sense. Ordinary acts seem to go backwards.For me this is a view of Time as a pathway, a door, not as a real state.This really made me think.

                      • arqios

                        A beautiful take and quite accurate as wellโ€ฆ Time can be so simple as itโ€™s ticking but also so complex and convoluted. Exciting thoughts stirred up! Thanks๐Ÿ•Š๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป



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