A Half-Dream Of The Future Poem by Glen Dodge

The dogs woke me up
A conspiratorial mumble under the eaves
Their secrets pulled the comforter
Off my shoulders
Chill bit in
Finally I decided to listen closer
But they’d turned to snuffling
I swiveled on the bedside fumbled
For my watch
And the edge of the bedside table
Found a chink in my knee joint
I quivered like a gong
Smelling the electricity of pain
In the random firing of rods and cones
I sensed the illuminated figures
Of Roman Numerals telling time
And thought of all those future
Generations of kids treating
An affectation like a wrist watch
Like my friends and I laughing
At fat society eunuchs in old movies
With their multitude of chins
Belly-tight tuxedos and wives
All arm-fat and jowls
Those kids will never
Have to tell time
It will be told to them