Ticking Time Bomb

Till you return, and I’ve to deal with you,
Or rather it: how our opposing forces
Make us quick, or keen, to misconstrue
Each good intention trickling from our sources.
The gears are oiled, the spring is set in motion,
And all that’s left to do is cut the wire
That runs from you to me without emotion,
Nerves and doubt, though not without desire.
The Semtex slabs are nestled in your handbag.
I will be gone before the huge explosion
Throws me off my feet into the darkness,
And even from behind a mound of sandbags
I dare not stare the truth out of its starkness,
Which means that we were fated to corrosion.

Hsien Min Toh

If you've any comments on this poem, Hsien Min Toh would be pleased to hear from you.