Tickled Sync
By Susan Parr
Urania, all up in her clock
While in bells I lie,
who lies, if my belle—
my female I—
the one I Hallmark,
with my feelings; we-one
I tremble with consort—
who lies, if by alt-
ernating tongues we
two-speak false rap-
port, peal apart?
Who lies—if I she-and-I
deliver our ultima-
tum: my surly quiver,
her curt surprise—
if my two-timing slips?
If Time itself
stutters the part—
if it inserts (and she
hearts!) a skipping second
one into my her-verge,
her to-my-from—
pushes in an extra
friend, an other, phan-
tom pendulum?
Source: Poetry (June 2020)