The Momentary Clock

Beautiful Imagery and Profound Observations

The beautiful imagery and observations in "The Momentary Clock" are mesmerizing, profound, and powerful. As stated in Peter Hague's words in "Notes on Gardening," his poems are like "gardening at its best," wherein "the truth of (each) poem steps out of its frame," as noted in "Clockwork Poems." Peter does not shy away from addressing sensitive issues, causing us to pause and reflect on how the loss of matters like freedom of speech can prevent our disagreements from "eventually 'cooling' into a settlement of peace."

Several of the poems in this collection were written in memory of someone. "Comfort Poem at Sea" beautifully describes the agony that the poet Hart Crane must have felt when he jumped off the stern of a steamship: "Can you not just see I want to sleep? Let the weight of words carry me down and deep." Another interesting time-shaped poem is "Head Shot," a haunting portrayal of President John F. Kennedy, who was caught between a life of privilege and early death.

Peter describes cave drawing as the earliest form of a clock and defines each moment of "The Momentary Clock" as "an act, or a poem, or a joy;" in essence, all the little moments that make up our lives. Another favorite poem is "The Isolation of Walls and Universal Spaces," which speaks of "the minute seconds that make our clocks unique."

The poem that most captured my attention was the one I opened first as if by design, "The Death of My Brother." Having also lost my brother many years ago, I felt my face flooded with tears as I read, "you did not deserve to die tethered to a bed of tubes and ignorance." And, of course, the same is true for the ending poem of this collection, "Brothers Beyond Reach."

Other poems deserve mentioning, but perhaps the final statement I would like to offer is that it was a pleasure to read Peter Hague's use of beautiful language and his ability to share his deepest thoughts without marring them with the display of profanity that is common today. "The Momentary Clock" is an excellent work of art.

Patricia Taylor Wells