I Wear an Eight Dollar Watch

Since I own no cell
phone I need something
to keep up to date.

My desk drawer sequesters 
four watches that cost much
more but whose time has run out.

The watch I wear says simple:
black face, white numbers, 
with a tiny “water resistant” pledge.

I don’t like to swim and won’t wear
the watch while washing dishes, but still
it’s quite a claim for under ten dollars.

Of course my computer also knows
what time it is, even does daylight savings
by itself, but stops reporting while full-screened.

I like how little the watch cost me;
I like how it’s still running well after a year;
I like how I don’t have to worry about replacing the battery.

When it wants to rest with the rest
of the old watches in the drawer I’ll just place
it there and get its younger brother,

probably “new and improved”
still a certain bargain for less than ten
for all that telling on time.