Mother's Clock

She looks at me and
I imagine to myself
What she expects of me
this time, sand
it falls slowly marking
the passing of time.
It's time
time to do my homework,
Or time,
time to dust the old
Living room chest we use as
a coffee table,
and time,
time to practice my piano,
Someday I will get a scholarship
I'm imagining that too.
I know she thinks it.
And I know,
I'm sure, it means more to her than me
But it's my life,
and her time.
My watch says it's now
Hers is fast by a few years.
Nov. 1995