Look how her tiny trunkcurls around on itself, how it echoesher curved tail and lettuce-like ears.Not merely sculptural, she's the pedestalfor a clock, as if all of timeemanated from her straining back.How firmly the gold girtharound her middleholds up the ornate clock,her terrible tiny eye bearingits impossible burden.The observer must feel some dreadconsidering the weight of hours.A long time ago one might have metan elephant, impossibly large,thrashing through a thicket.Now she is constructed froma piece of herself expensive enoughto send hunters into jungles.I want to believe that the tiny gold leavesunder her feet could grow and green,that she could throw the clock off.I give her to you so you can let timerun down, and try to remove it.Will everything around her loosenwhen the burden of time is gone?You'll never have to ridethis creature and she'll neverhave to kneel before you.Longing can be seen separatefrom the passage of time:she will never lie down and die.Her tail swishes across her haunch.
Cammy Thomas (Fri,) studied this question.