Time
Temperament
Questionnaire
—
Claire Polders
IN WHAT DIMENSION DO YOU spend most of your waking hours—the past, the present, the future, or another space-time?
Does your life have a before and after?
Are you waiting for Godot?
Imagine that for each anticipation, you’d have to sacrifice a memory. Would this change the way you direct your thoughts?
To what type of music would you compare a present without regret?
Can you finish, “Time relates to… as death does to… ?”
What age are you in your nightmares?
When did you last have a linear dream? If you cannot answer this question, please write down your secret formula for time travel.
Does time reside more comfortably in your body or in your mind?
Where or when do you encounter the unknown?
What is the first situation that comes to mind in which haste would be a breach of ethics? What about slowness?
Would you rather pause or expand time?
What color would your favorite interval be between wish and fulfillment?
Does your pleasure travel at the same speed as your pain?
Think of time as an accordion—was that easy or hard?
What makes you get up and dance?
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Claire Polders is the author of 6 books and 100+ essays, stories, and book reviews. She was born in the Netherlands, lived in Paris, married an American in Italy, and now slow-travels the world. Her debut flash fiction collection Woman of the Hour: Fifty Tales of Longing and Rebellion was released from Vine Leaves Press in 2025. Find out more at www.clairepolders.com or sign up for her free Substack newsletter Wander, Wonder, Write to follow her on her journeys.
Does your life have a before and after?
Are you waiting for Godot?
Imagine that for each anticipation, you’d have to sacrifice a memory. Would this change the way you direct your thoughts?
To what type of music would you compare a present without regret?
Can you finish, “Time relates to… as death does to… ?”
What age are you in your nightmares?
When did you last have a linear dream? If you cannot answer this question, please write down your secret formula for time travel.
Does time reside more comfortably in your body or in your mind?
Where or when do you encounter the unknown?
What is the first situation that comes to mind in which haste would be a breach of ethics? What about slowness?
Would you rather pause or expand time?
What color would your favorite interval be between wish and fulfillment?
Does your pleasure travel at the same speed as your pain?
Think of time as an accordion—was that easy or hard?
What makes you get up and dance?
Claire Polders is the author of 6 books and 100+ essays, stories, and book reviews. She was born in the Netherlands, lived in Paris, married an American in Italy, and now slow-travels the world. Her debut flash fiction collection Woman of the Hour: Fifty Tales of Longing and Rebellion was released from Vine Leaves Press in 2025. Find out more at www.clairepolders.com or sign up for her free Substack newsletter Wander, Wonder, Write to follow her on her journeys.