3.3077 minutes ahead

She wanted him
She had been chaste

There was
confusion in communication

He'll never lie
with me again

infinite love
and sorrow

her hope had
remained embalmed

he was embalmed
in time

***

She tried to visualize love
No, it wasn't possible!
But of course it was,
if worked out intellectually
if she just lay flat
not love-making
merely a formal prostration
to the exigencies of glands
and time flow

She sat up in bed;
longing for movement,
freedom

***

they had fallen into routine
so as not to bump into each other
They conversed in bulletins
did not ask questions
unless questions were necessary
They walked slightly apart
They made detours round each other's lives

What had he said?
That was lost.

'Don't worry' he said
It could be worse
We could be a day apart
3.3077 minutes
allows us a measure
of communication

Please time your statements
So that we do not talk at
Cross
Purposes.

***

I want to know your feelings
how you are
what you are
thinking

I am not suffering
I have completely recovered
There is no reason to foresee
that my perceptions
will ever lapse back
into phase with yours

They have remained
an unfluctuating
3.3077 minutes ahead

Poet's Note:
This is a found poem from portions of one of my favourite science fiction short stories. "Man in his time" has been haunting me since the first time I read it. It is the story of a man who - due to a mishap during his space expedition - crashes back to earth only to discover that he is exactly 3.3077 minutes ahead of earth time! Can you imagine the chaos this would cause in his relationships?

Actually, you don't have to imagine. The author of the story, brilliant Mr. Brian W. Aldiss, does an excellent job of outlining the resulting chaos and communication misunderstandings.

We poets, dreamers and other visionaries can relate to the idea of being 'ahead of time'. We do understand that it takes a toll on our relationships. All we can hope for is to find more people who are close to "our time".