you begin
by working
backwards
but become
stuck
at the end

like a travelator
in an airport
or an elevator rising & falling
in slow motion

we write words
that turn time
around

it took me
a full minute
to realise i was
shaking.

a time capsule
of fragrances

and the knowledge
that everything must end

the possibility
of an archive

the promise
that something
will be remembered

a future city
full of children.

Later I was in a gift shop in chinatown trying to think of something significant to buy. There were charms for health and prosperity, but nothing to slow down time. And definitely nothing to stop it.