No Small Moments (Poetry): TAG Heuer - Monaco Calibre 11

Photo by Chris Antzoulis

Over the past couple of years, I have been working on a book of poetry about watches, focusing on the small moments that make life full and complete. Each poem in the book reflects a day in my life and is titled after the watch I wore that day, and is intended to be accompanied by an illustration from Bryan Braddy ( @badartnicewatch ). Today, I wanted to share one of those poems with you. This poem is one of the exceptions in the collection, as the TAG Heuer Monaco belongs to my brother, but I borrowed it for a day.

TAG Heuer - Monaco Calibre 11 - CAW211P.FC6356

for my brother, Frank, who got me hooked on watches. Also, fuck you.

“This will never pass inspection,”

my brother said,

pointing at my tires;

“they’re showing cord.”

Hopped up on cortados,

I drove us the long way home

in the rain.

Huey Lewis’s “Hip to be Square”

funneled through the speakers,

two of which were blown.

I start dancing from the neck up,

belting the lyrics as they raced

away.

From the passenger seat

my brother delivered serious side-eye,

before he bribed me to care,

“This is important, you could die

if one of these blows out.”

In the past, I’d go on tirades

about humans being around

for hundreds of thousands of years

and the best we could do

was create currency

and capitalism, class systems,

and disparity.

Mortality is frightening

to the point of exhaustion,

or paralysis,

or deflection through vigorous

car karaoke to the voice of a generation.

Add sleeplessness and movement

running on caffeine and other stimulants.

I really should square-up.

Wheels running like sub-registers,

sweeping up concrete, weathering

through passing minutes.

Illustrated by Bryan Braddy ( @badartnicewatch )