The one-way flow of time we take for granted，

    but what if the valve is defective¹？ What if the threads

    on the stem wear thin， or the stuffing box or the bonnet²

    ring leaks， or the joints³ to the pipe ring fail，

    and there's a backwash？

    It happens.

    And then old loves，

    meeting again， have no idea what to do，

    resuming or not resuming from where they were

    years before. Or the dead come back to chat.

    Or you are reduced for a giddy moment to childhood's

    innocent incompetence⁴. You look up

    as if to see some hint in the sky's blackboard.

    But then， whatever it was， some fluff or grit⁵

    that clogged⁶ the works， works free， and again time passes，

    almost as before， and you try to get on with your life.