A cog greater than the rest appears.
It makes its own place
Not disturbing those around it,
The least of interruptions.
The cog fits in.
The wheel turns.

A cog less than the rest appears.
It attempts to make a place.
The wheel skips, moves, accepts the cog
One place, then another.
The cog fits in.
The wheel turns.

A broken cog appears,
Not fitting correctly.
Those around it help it, tolerate it,
Show it the right way.
The cog fits in.
The wheel turns.

A crooked cog appears,
Refuses to conform;
Wishes to do harm to the wheel.
Whether the change is good or bad
Does not matter.
It has rebelled, it is broken off.
Where it was, another grows.
This cog fits in.
The wheel turns.

You may ask, why use a machine?
What use is the description?
The cog is a person,
The gears the lives of people,
The machine society,
The wheel is time.
No force stops it.
The wheel will turn.