Lawrence Hall, HSG
The Last American
Westclox Baby Ben
(Maybe)
It ticked into my heart at the Goodwill store
Two dollars’ worth of Americana
A charmer in a battered metal shell
Hiding behind a tired plastic face
The tick, the tock, the talk of Peru, Illinois
The clock that woke America each dawn
For work and study, and to meet the Chicago train
For a century until time ran out
It clicks and clanks and ticks and tocks and talks
All-day dutiful hands, a jangling bell -
How long will this old clock last?
Only time will tell
