THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK

The grandfather clock,

with a tick and a tock,

marks the days and the time

with his sonorous chime.

Pendulum swinging,

and rhythmically singing

to mark every hour

with notes of great power.

He watches our doings,

each coming or going

of life through the hallway,

each sorrow and feast day.

Through each generation

he's stood to attention,

to keep us in order,

benevolent warder.

And if for some reason,

the damp, or the season,

his ticking should stop,

then we undo the lock

and gently untangle

the chain where it dangles,

til order's restored

with the chimes of a chord

to mark every minute

and everything in it

by ticking and tocking,

his pendulum rocking.