An Ode to Time
- Gillian Fletcher
- Apr 25, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
I wanted to write about time without writing about time, so I wrote everything everyone has ever said about it instead. What started as a list of phrases became something I did not expect: a kind of collective unconscious of our relationship with the one thing none of us can control, own, or return. The repeating refrains started as a structural device and ended up feeling like a clock.
Whether that clock is counting up or down I will leave to you.
There’s no time like the present!
The time was…
It’s Miller time!
This is your time.
Time is passing you by…
Time is precious.
Time is money!
Your time has come.
Do you have time to spare?
Can we talk for a few minutes?
Will I see you later?
This is our time.
There aren’t enough hours in the day!
How soon do we leave?
When will you be back?
Our time has come.
Time is fleeting.
Time is flying,
Like sand through the hourglass…
This is your time.
Can I steal you for a minute?
I don’t have time right now!
Could you be quiet for a second, please?
Your time has come.
Do you know what time it is?
Are we too early?
Am I calling too late?
This is our time.
Is it time yet?
Not now, but soon...
How much longer do I have to wait?
Our time has come.
Can we reschedule?
I need another five minutes!
I will be right with you.
This is your time.
In the meantime,
I need a moment to myself.
What I wouldn't give for a little longer...
Your time has come.
Don’t waste my time!
Time is a thief.
Act now!
This is our time.
Time is a cheat.
Time heals all wounds.
Your timing couldn't be worse.
Our time has come.
You’re just in time!
Ain’t nobody got time for that…
Time is a liar.
This is your time.
Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey
Time changes everything.
From here to eternity,
Your time is now.
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