john harms
The Pulling Rope
Rope in my hand
I pull on it.
It pulls me back,
back to yesterday
even closer to last night.
I pull on it
to get to tomorrow
I pull hard
a good swift tug –
Ugh, dammit!
It keeps me here, in today,
and it pulls me even harder –
now closer to yesterday,
events of last night to pull me away
from the time of today.
I burn the rope
set the thoughts on fire
but the flame goes out.
There’s nothing I can do
to stop it from pulling me.
I close my eyes,
as a last resort.
I open them when I think it’s safe
and I find myself
back in today.