Book of Time XXIII: The Twenty-Third Hour

Parsley cruised the shore
in the fixed DeLorean.
Mary heard his car,
and she waved him toward them.
"Parsley, how did you get here?"

The man held his wife,
startled by the vehicle.
He said, "Honey, look!
It looks just like your sister's..."
Parsley rolled down the window.

"Someone called a cab?"
Mary smiled, "Very funny."
She helped the woman
to the back seat of the car.
The man held the door open.

Mary called the horse,
climbing upon its saddle.
Parsley said to her,
"I have so many questions."
Mary said, "Just follow me."

Parsley turned his head,
"You folks have your seatbelts on?"
The man said to him,
"My horse is fast. You'll lose her
if you don't start driving now!"

A beachside cabin
stood on green hills with a view
of the Northern Sea.
The party of four arrived,
guiding the woman with haste.

The setting sun burned,
warming up the horizon.

Crashing waves traded
with the woman's cries of pain.
Parsley said, "Wait, she's pregnant?!"

A new moon glistened
the moment the child was born,
a fair baby girl.
Mary fainted as Parsley
caught her in his arms, "Mary!"

Richard Auriga

Nassau County, NY