The Second Hand

With every tick, the second hand
Proceeds around the face,
A little like a heartbeat
At a slow and steady pace.

So many clocks and watches, though,
Don’t come so well-equipped
So you might never realize
If some seconds had been skipped.

There’s comfort, then, to check the time
On wall or desk or wrist
And behold the second hand a’tick
With not one second missed.

The irony, of course, is that,
What really is absurd
Is acknowledging the second hand
Is actually the third!