Lover of Time

By: Willow Vaughn

I seduced Time
I brought her thorny flowers, held her worn hands and kissed her softly
I caressed her flushed cheeks and played with her hair, long like a timeline
I ran my hands along her battle-won scars and her strong but delicate body
I buried my face in her neck and left little marks there, proof of my presence
We spent countless hours together and I hoped we would stay forever like that
She would come to me in the night and wait out the dark with me
But she never spoke with me, which I found funny because Time never told
Instead, I told. And I told her everything
But it’s not like I could keep anything from her
She knows everything
Everything about me, and about all else
Yet, she remained in my bed and let me hold her in my hands
After all of this, I thought Time was on my side
I thought she favored me
And again, she came to me when the sun was low and the stars were high
And I, so sure of myself, let Time catch up to me

And Time put her hands on my blushing cheeks and told me “I gave you all I could.”
Then she kissed me
She scooped the air from my throat until I could breathe no longer
My body went limp as my lungs failed to produce oxygen for my muscles to use
I looked in her eyes
Eyes that had seen every trick in the book
Eyes that saw through me like I wasn’t even there
Eyes that held no remorse
And I realized that Time stops for no one
Not even for those who set out to romance her
And certainly not for those who fell in love along the way