Twenty Six Hours

You've told yourself no n'er again
This time you will be better.
You'll keep resolve's impassioned clause
In spirit and in letter

But then through days of thoughtlessness
The days they turn to weeks
Which happens well when juxtaposed
By concourses of geeks

You think that time is on your side
As Jagger sings for hire
But I know now one thing in life...
...Jagger is a liar

The truth it seems more coincides
To Hootie and his fish
For time will take more blows from you
Than you could ever dish

And so it was this time again
That took me by surprise
Well 'took me' isn't quite the truth
I really wasn't wise

I said it. There. You happy now?
To me alone is blame.
I can't just get off 'cause I've got
Two majors to my name

So yes, in the last week it came
Right down to time and me
Which really in this life is the
Most biased fight you'll see

I could have finished in advance
If he'd just stop his motion
You can't take shots on such movement
Without a stop-time potion

But when I checked so frantically
And pocket's holds withdrew
I found to my great horror I
Was fresh out of this brew

'Alas I'll have to take him on
Like in our fathers' age
Man to man, all day and night
Attrition's war will rage'

And so from morning on to noon
And so-ly on to dusk
I fought the dragon in my face
(He didn't smell of musk

That would have made things nicer still
But war is never nice
It finds you without house and home
Ra-tioned on grains of rice)

But as the dusk turned into night
I prayed that eyes stay wide
To finish slaying cue by cue
In short to save my hideThe blackness that surrounded me
Soon turned its clock t'ward morn
But neither side had conquered yet
And mine was badly worn

Crazened looks came cross my mug
While peering in the dark
I'd started to begin to lose
Inginu-ations spark

'Don't let it end but end it now
And take me from this place'
As mornings tock came o'er the clock
A tick came to my face

Completion of this slaying was
Not coming right along
They say a slaying only comes
When Helga sings her song

And she showed up but still I was
Not equal to the task
'Three hours more to e'en the score?'
That's all I dared to ask

Granted and I pushed ahead
And fought till nearing noon
Just hoping that some miracle
Would come upon me soon

When then a thought came to my mind
I drew the dragon near
'You and I can both go home'
I whispered in his ear

'Just roar aloud a couple times
And pop me in the head
And then I'll stab you one last time
And you'll pretend you're dead'

Agreeing with an awful smile
He said 'your time will come,
Then I'll be back when you 'spect least
And I will serve you some.'

Afraid of being janked? I was.
But choices had no other
A draw for now was better than
A flag sent to my motherSo as I left the grounds that day
(Which'd lengthened out to two)
I knew the battle'd just begun
There was much more to do

But then I realized something grand
An entry for this date
My old record's 'Straight Hours at School'
I'd bested now by eight.