The Clock

The Clock to Barbara with all my love Frank By Franklin Price 1/26/2016 The clock stands in our living room in a place where it should be. It represents my love for you. It's there for all to see Walking past I hear it ticking, for our lives a metronome The pendulum is swinging in the place we call our home I ordered it, without a word, in 1982. It says it on the brass plate that declares my love for you. It's a limited edition; fifty-one its numbered place Chimes on the quarter hour; has the moon upon its face When new it showed the phases, as the lunar month went past The moon's no longer going; don't know when it phased its last All else is still working. The hands still tell the time, And every quarter hour, the clock still begins to chime When the hour is completed, it is counted with a gong If there's an hour we don't hear it, we know there's something gone wrong Usually need to lift the weights; their falling moves the hands around: There are three of them to keep the time, the chime and the gonging sound. The clock is representative of the married life we've had When I hear that it's still working, it really makes me very glad And every time I think of you I hear the chimes and still the gong For me the moon's still going, phases moving right along I think it's really wonderful that the pendulum still swings And that upon our fingers are still our golden wedding rings And every quarter hour that I hear that old clock chime I'm grateful that you are my wife and the clock's still keeping time