You've got no time at all, but it seems like you've got forever. You've got nothing to do, but it seems like you've got everything.You make coffee and smoke a few cigarettes; and the hands of the clock have gone crazy on you. They haven't moved hardly, they've hardly budged out of the place you last saw them, but they've measured off a half? two-thirds? of your life. You've got forever, but that's no time at all. You've got forever; and somehow you can't do much with it. You've got forever; and it's a mile wide and an inch deep and full of alligators.
The quote highlights the paradox of time and existence, where one feels both a sense of endless time and a crushing lack of it. It reflects on how mundane activities can create the illusion that time is moving slowly, yet in reality, significant portions of life have passed. The contrast between the experience of time and its actual passage creates a feeling of disconnection and urgency.
This duality is echoed in the notion that while life may seem to stretch infinitely, it is ultimately filled with challenges, represented metaphorically by "alligators." This imagery conveys the struggle between the potential for deep fulfillment and the superficiality of day-to-day life, suggesting that despite having seemingly infinite time, there is little real accomplishment or meaning found within it.
