Clockwork Poems
You can wind my key and make me speak; make me reveal what I meant at the time. For I am a clockwork poem – poised for the telling – a creature in resonance with the envy of weapons. I am armoured with precision and subtle pledges; angled with a soft heart, made good with bone. I sleep one-eyed, behind the shards of palings – and the billboard clouds of enormous fences. I will return to my position via the autotomy of time; discarding whole decades in an easy process. The key that winds – unlocks the door and the truth of the poem steps out of its frame. You will shoulder me proudly – as a trusted stranger, stumbling with the duty of accepted pursuance; matching my steps through the space between ages and settling for adventure in place of doubt. I will guide you beyond the scope of your peers; past all experiments and beneath all pretensions. I will take you to the truth I found in mansions, and in all the crevices of the passing years. Your eyes have the energy of the coiling spring – your mind is the key that turns again. Turn it to trigger these clockwork poems and prepare for the dichotomy of a cog’s embrace. Comfort Poem at Sea To the memory of Hart Crane. 1899-1932 It cannot be death without a poem – something to wrap my agony inside before I sleep; before I rest beneath this vertical tide that falls away so steep. Write the words across my sheets – the billowing pages of unfurled letters are the only wrappings I can take; the only sails that will carry me forth, beyond the chains of a snagging wake. Can you not just see I want to sleep? Let the weight of words carry me down and deep. The Old Skills of Applied Austerity We live our lives like fugitives in the rough and tumble – a chanting of souls who fear no evil. As bathers, without soap or water. When we are all strewn across the post-apocalyptic chaos, we, the eternal peasants, will be a revelation to behold. Accustomed to pain and the simple devotions, we will teach you all – you surprised and manicured people. We will teach you the skills you will need for coping in the face of a sudden and universal malevolence – in the jaws of an abyss you refused to revoke. We live our lives like fugitives in the rough and tumble – stand aside and we will guide you home. Purchase Peter's book below: https://amzn.to/3It1LCC Bio: Peter Hague has written most of his life and always returned to it, like it was some sort of duty - a way of explaining the world - or testing it. His five books of poetry, including 'Summer With The Gods', 'Louder Prayers' and 'The Momentary Clock' all display a landmark development of his talent - one defined in a period of re-invention which began to take place around 2016. Also available are 'Gain of Function', which is a collection produced during the febrile atmosphere of the pandemic, and 'Hope in the Heart of Hatred': a 'bridge' between his earlier work and the work he is doing now. A number of other books are in production, encompassing both his exciting current work and a revival of his early output, stretching back to the nineteen-seventies. He has finally decided to concentrate his remaining years on a quest to become a voice in poetry. Throughout the preceding decades Peter Hague was a creative director at a number of design and advertising agencies before going freelance. He has also been known as a digital artist, going by the art name of 'e-brink'. There is an e-brink web site displaying many of his creations. Website: https: //www.peterhague.com Twitter: @PeterHague
Fevers of the Mind 