Frozen Moments

The clock ticks louder,

a bitter, measured sound,

reminding me of how much I’ve lost

in the spaces between,

the hands frozen,

a relic in the toolbox of time,

its cold metal face cracked,

just enough to see

fragments of memories,

like dreams slipping through fingers.

I wonder how long

it’s been sitting there,

in the shadows, waiting,

for moments to breathe,

a haunting of minutes

that I couldn’t save.