To “keep time” in music is to keep the beat. Time is the beat of the universe. It is the great equalizer, for every living thing succumbs to the passing of seconds, minutes, and hours.  Time moves forward in a series of consecutive occurrences; the future becomes the present and the present becomes the past.  Memories form and fade under the watch of a ticking clock. If you peer into the inner workings of a clock, highly crafted brass is exposed.  Cranks, gears, cogs, and springs work in a balanced dance of synchronization.  Every hour a chime sounds, signaling the progression of our lives. Yet, memory seems to find loopholes in time, weaving in and out of existence.  Despite time’s natural progression forward, memory brings the past into the present. Glass, too, is impervious to time – crystallizing fleeting moments and fleeting memories.  

When peering into clear glass, one might find the subtle glow of something just beyond reach.  The textured surface of kernels comes into focus.  But bites are missing, evidence of human touch.  As time progresses, the sweet taste will fade, the cob will rot.  But here preserved in glass there are telling marks of a person who once enjoyed this summer treat. These cobs keep time.  Like a cylinder from a music box, these kernels play a tune.