Lapse

At 2 pm, doves coo
an afternoon lullaby —

drowsy ticking
drowns out work —

the clock’s face
and leaden hands
fall napping into
the hour’s warm lap —

minutes nod off and
sleepy seconds snore
digesting noon away —

time teeters —
its breathing slows
weighed down by
heavy parts of day —

—Terri Guillemets