The Sword of Damocles

time —

the sword of Damocles

with the inscription

“produce or die” 

etched on the silver blade

hangs by a frayed thread

over my head

time has a face

numbers for eyes and

hands pointing to what is

out of what was

what will I be doing

when the line snaps

and it’s too late 

to recapitulate loss or gain

time owns the dice

the same dots 

don’t come up twice

and a clue to what you seek

can’t be found when

the cubes spin around on

a chipped corner 

we have what was given

to use as we choose

win or lose

nothing more or less

than what remains 

after the table is closed

and the transient moment 

contains all it can hold