WHY WATCHES ARE SET TO 10:09         I've been wondering about the time on those Rolex, Cartier, Tiffany and Seiko watches in display ads— Why are they set to 10:09? Historians tell us that was the time Lincoln was shot. Or perhaps it was the other Good Friday when Christ was crucified with his arms reaching resembling 10:09. Merchandisers call it advertising exposure— hands of watches set to 10:09 will not cover the brand name. Artists say that 10:09 forms the diagonals of a golden rectangle whose sacred ratio runs through the Great Pyramid, the Parthenon, Chartres and Notre Dame cathedrals, the divine proportion Leonardo found in human hands, faces, and torsos. On this Easter Eve, dancing clockwise around the room, I feel your white silk blouse breathing, your red plaid skirt swirling, your eyes dreaming, and suddenly the wall clock's hands turn into the wingspan of snow geese soaring as we waltz slowly beyond time, your right elbow mirroring my left— a perfect 10:09       Peter Y. Chou       Palo Alto, 4-14-1990