Frozen Seconds

I found you buried in old drawers,

tarnished metal, glass cracked at the rim,

button sticky with forgotten years.

Time caught at 3:17—

frozen in a silver circle,

a breath held too long,

a pulse paused mid-race.

Your face, a fogged mirror,

reflecting dust and my restless hands,

tugging at moments that won’t move.

I press the button, nothing clicks,

silence swells between tick and tock.

You keep your secret locked tight,

a prisoner of seconds that escaped.