Slippin’ Away

© Matthew Word Bain

an illegible palimpsest
of former identities
above a random
patchwork of
former windows
embedded in a wall
that seems to be prone
to losing mortar over time
given the splotchy repointing
and areas now needing the same

ain’t it funny how time gets stuck
lodged in the inconsistencies
expressed on the surface
of an old brick wall
visible remnants
undeniable
evidence
of how
time
. . .
flows
despite
the sticky
surfaces that
catch at it while
it passes unchecked
like the wind, perhaps
it is not so much time that
lodges in these crevices but
its effect – like the wind it can’t
be seen, only its effect on what it
passes by, and like the wind can
only be felt as that passing by
takes place, as time travels
on its unrestricted way