Poems as a Clockwork of the Heart | Mark S. Burrows, with Pádraig Ó Tuama

Every once in a while, a poet rises to speak in a way that compels us to listen—and I mean all of us, not just those few who “like” poetry. They don’t declare things, but rather invite us to pay attention. To open ourselves to neglected dimensions of this life and this world that matter. This is particularly true in times of cultural conflict and distress—like ours.

One such voice is the Irish poet and peace-activist, Pádraig Ó Tuama, whose wildly popular podcast “Poetry Unbound” has already had millions of downloads since its inception several years ago. Why? Because so many hear in Pádraig the voice of the bard we long for and need, one of those voices who help us hear the anguish and desires of our times—and look deeper, beyond the tensions, toward paths of beauty and goodness and truth.

In the Introduction to his recent book, Poetry Unbound, Pádraig puts it this way: “A poem is a difficult thing to define. What is it? It’s a little block of ink on a page, sometimes five lines long, sometimes fifty. It’s a house of memory. It’s a clockwork thing you can carry in your pocket; take it out, set it to go, and it goes. Tick-tock-tick-tock, it says, sometimes rhyming with itself. Some poems are full of love, and some of anger; some poems remember things that shouldn’t be forgotten, other poems fantasize about the future, acting as a warning for today. Some sound like a song, others like a story. All poems use craft; careful choice of words, line- breaks, metaphor, and form. I love these elements of poetry, but I know that such technicalities are not the only way to love a poem. Most people remember a poem because it reminds them of something: a grief of their own; a moment of love in their life; a decision they had to make; a time of wonder and delight; a landscape they had forgotten; a pain they carried. Somehow, those little clockworks get into the heart, and help it go, help it rhyme, help it in ways we can’t define.”

Here’s one of Pádraig’s recent poems, a gem of a piece entitled “The One Thing.” And what is that “one thing”? Something like the clockwork we each carry within our hearts: it’s always there, tick-tock-ing away, but sometimes we lose touch with it, and need another voice—like Padraig’s—to remember its life-giving pulse:

There must have been some other me, who
lived some other time, who realized he knew
the one thing that would save me.

And he must have found a little window,
opened it—and shouted through it—
that saving sound that saved me.

And he must have felt a failure, I am sure,
that other me, because he failed, he did, he didn’t
save me from the other things that beat me.

And he must have sat like some sad god
from sadder scriptures and wept at all
he failed to do, he had so little time. And

all my life, I have been climbing up to little
windows—opening them—and saying
the one thing I can say: thank you.

Do plan to join us to hear Pádraig, on May 18 (1 – 5 pm at the First Congregational Church of Camden, 55 Elm Street), when he keynotes the second annual Camden Festival of Poetry. His voice has been one committed to finding stories that connect us, that open us to listen across the divides separating us from each other, that attune us to the experiences of others so that we might “meet” them with authenticity—theirs and ours.

The afternoon program is free and open to the public. Alongside Pádraig you’ll also hear other Midcoast and Maine poets together with music by singer-songwriters Chris Ross and Mehuman. You’ll also be able to sample short workshops on a range of topics, meet poets at our Book Fair, hear the Zimpritch Poet of Promise recite their winning entry, meet the winner of the 2024 Poets Corner Chapbook Contest, and—of course—hear and experience Pádraig Ó Tuama.

Come to be encouraged, challenged, and delighted. Come to have your clockwork activated. Come to enjoy a gathering of friends, old and new, gathered in pursuit of what truly matters. Come to build community with us!

Pádraig Ó Tuama is an internationally celebrated poet as well as a peace-activist and mediator. His popular podcast “Poetry Unbound,” produced with On Being Studios, has over recent years seen over ten million downloads. He has published collections of poetry and a bestselling anthology based on the podcast. Check out his website, “In the Shelter”. His poem and excerpt from Poetry Unbound are cited with the permission of the publishers.

Mark S. Burrows is the co-founder and co-director of the Camden Festival of Poetry. He is an award-winning poet and translator as well as being a scholar of medieval history. As an expression of his interest in mysticism he has published three books of poems inspired by the medieval mystic, Meister Eckhart (most recently, Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness and Light). He is also well-known as an interpreter of Rainer Maria Rilke’s writings, and his new translation of Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus will appear in the summer of 2024. www.soul-in-sight.org