24 hours and 11 minutes

Daniel McCosh

You might not hear it tick −
when light bounces on the ganglions
(not a den of fierce beasts,
cells in your eyes that receive light).
Light that sets the master clock
that tells clocks around the body
when it's time to do their business:
eat, sleep or repeat.

Instinctual is the sleep and wake,
the suprachiasmatic timekeeper,
silently marking and measuring cycles.
The clocks may however be divided,
between larks and owls; the early-birds,
the creatures of the night.

Melatonin is sleep’s blanket,
released by the pineal gland.
Hypnagogic rhythms cradle the body:
a steady melody, a ready lullaby
The body needs regular rest
to stay healthy, regenerate and refresh.

While you are snoozing gently,
fruit flies gently buzz around your head.
They give you clues of how scientists discovered
what we know of circadian rhythm −
the count of 24 hours and eleven minutes
that keeps our bodies functioning on time.

The Science

Circadian rhythms in humans and animals last for approximately 24 hours and 11 minutes. They are the body's way of knowing when to control essential functions such as sleeping. When light shines on cells in the eye called ganglions, this affects the superchiasmatic nerve that acts as the body's master clock, sending time signals to important functions around the body.

The Poet

Daniel McCosh is a poet and academic translator based in Fürth, Germany, originally from the UK. He writes poetry from the soul in English and German and is passionate about conserving our natural heritage, finding joy in unexpected places, and spreading the magic of poetry in its many forms. Daniel’s most recent collection is Seldom Croaked the Hawk (2021).

Next poem: around one by Itzia Ferrer