DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
ALL YEAR, DANIELLE SMITH DOES CHIME
LATE SUNRISE A CRIME
Daylight Savings Time—
How do you even save the time?
Do you put it in the bank,
hoping to use it later?
Daylight Savings Time—
Why would you save it?
Could we make Christmas longer
or add time to summer vacation?
Daylight Savings Time—
I know what I would not do!
I would never save it
to spend more time at school!
TONIGHT WE LOSE SLEEP
AHEAD AN HOUR WE WILL LEAP
LESS TIME, COUNTING SHEEP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Henry the squirrel with his pals conspired~
a silent coup, a plot so ingenious, so inspired.
They stole an hour from humans’ sleep,
hid it where the night is unfathomably deep.
Henry decreed: For gathering nuts more daylight is required.
We humans woke confused, rubbing our eyes,
betrayed by dawn’s deceitful rise.
The forest creatures, too, awoke in confusion,
their internal clocks spun in chaotic delusion.
So here we are: victims of Henry’s temporal enterprise.
Every other Friday,
With my paycheck in my hand,
I headed to the savings bank,
Exactly like I’d planned.
I’d cash the check, depositing
A bit so it would grow,
Reflected in my passbook
Where the interest would show.
That Lincoln Savings Bank is now
An upscale toddler gym,
Survival rates for local banks
Now, sadly, kind of slim.
Direct deposit also changed
The way most folks get paid
And I’m not sure that passbooks,
Nowadays, are even made.
Yet I remember feeling
So grown-up with that fresh check,
Never thinking it would be replaced
By banking done by tech.
It’s a great exaggeration
Which I never understand
Why is it deemed an immigration
To spend a week in their land?
Just to see their homes and grass
Their gardens and the trees
But it seems they cannot grasp
The idea that it’s me
Lil’ old me who’s not a nation
But an owner of my mind
Stamped by generalization
That I never need to bind
I might be their mean projection
Thrown into the litter bin
A distorted strange reflection
Mirrored in the darkened screen
Brought my bank account statement
But it didn't work this time
There was no source of savings
Application was declined
Got the letter in spam folder
Their email made my day
They protected their border
And for this I had to pay
So goodbye the V&A
Farewell, The Leaping Horse
There’s no place around to stay
‘Cause my savings have no source
I was silly, they were stupid
But the right was on their side
It cost me two thousand quid -
I think highly of mankind!
Tick tock where clocks turn back
Each hand for hand me back
Two times for going to that
Back track for hour's at
Docked time for landing on
What hour's erased for gone
Stopped time for haven't had
Not time for doing nad
First time for being said
Next time an hour's dead
Lost time for being there
No time for repeat wear
Host time for living well
Changed time for living Hell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The stolen hour pools beneath the streetlamp,
damp asphalt drinking the phantom light.
We unwind the taut spring of summer,
let the gears groan backward through their teeth.
Shadows stretch like taffy, pulling dusk
across the threshold too soon.
Each dial surrenders to the ritual theft~
morning owes us what the evening keeps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The clock coughs twice—a phlegmy tick~
We wrench its hands with clumsy might.
An hour tumbles, lost from sight.
Like dentures down the kitchen sink.
*“Daylight saving time (DST) is the practice of setting clocks forward by one hour in the spring to extend evening daylight during the warmer months, and then setting them back by one hour in the autumn….In the United States, DST begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November…The concept was first suggested by Benjamin Franklin in 1784.,The first widespread implementation occurred during World War I to conserve fuel.” (Source: Wikipedia.com)
Moans, sleep deprivation,
Groans across our great nation.
Blame all dumb inventors,
Droughts, floods, some mentors!
We'll vanish on timely wings,
Faults saving daylight brings!
I wish there was a way.
I could save some money today.
By not buying that shirt.
But that would make me hurt.
I could save the money like a fool.
Or buy that scarf that would make me look cool.
I wish there was a way.
To go through the day.
Ignoring coffee shops, and stores.
Those keychains I adore.
And other things I don’t need.
But without them, sweat starts to bead.
I could save the money, which could be cool.
But I’d rather have a new swim suit for the pool.
Or I could use the money for…
A giant teddy bear from that store!
There is a way, but I simply didn’t.
I look at the receipt to see what I spent.
A hundred dollars in total.
But at least my stomach is full.
At least I have a new purse.
Which is starting to feel like a curse.
There was a way, but I forget.
All I know is I feel regret.
Carrying my giant teddy bear.
I feel despair.
Putting my new things in my car.
My house is not too far.
But I drive slowly.
Feeling lowly.
As I know my mom is here.
Her and the bills are things I fear.
Named for the God of War but trickster is your nature. Each year you bring the prospect of spring. Yet your deceit hides that promise under your cloak of white. I should know better, but you understand how much I need to believe your promises. Beware the Ides of March. Julius did not heed the warnings and you repaid his arrogance with the cold steel of betrayal. Now you say that you are the master of time and will move the sun to bring me another hour of light. But you’ve only robbed from the beginning to repay the end.
Take away from one
to give it to another
human reasoning
We haven’t gained much interest yet
Save an extra hour of light
Which isn’t bad, but you can bet
It came right out of our nights
Come next statement there’ll be fees
And I’m sure that they’ll be lofty
We’ll pay back that hour, guaranteed
Boy, is daylight savings costly.
The ides of March are upon us,
With spring to follow closely in step.
As we begin to welcome St. Patty,
And all those Easter eggs lie ready to prep.
Seen and heard is the madness of basketball,
Collegiate craziness to never end.
As the hoops are tallied to an adding machine,
While would be champions begin to spend.
A renewed beginning is nature's way,
That brings some warmth to open eyes.
As daylight savings slowly unveils,
and longer days lead to nights demise.
Fresh upon this cycle of growth,
The lengthy passage yields few rules.
Only to follow a path moving forward,
Eventually to end...with April fools.
I wonder if the sun realizes
it is getting up early next week?
Will the stars shout:
“Hey!!! Turn off the light.”,
the moon sulk in a corner?
Will it drive the bats….
You know….”batty”?
I heard a rumor
The “Shadow and Shade Unions”
are laying off.
The sparrows think it’s hilarious
as they can’t tell time,
The roosters may need a snooze button.
I just want to know:
“where are they putting all this daylight they’re saving?”
John G. Lawless
©10/27/2022
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.