Against the Clock
Derek Mahon
2018 • The Gallery Press
We commune, she
and I, in silent privacy,
ribbon and paper glimmering. I wait,
she waits, for a first word to communicate
itself with a hesitant beat
to the white sheet.
— From 'Olympia', Derek Mahon
Against the Clock
Derek Mahon
2018 • The Gallery Press
We commune, she
and I, in silent privacy,
ribbon and paper glimmering. I wait,
she waits, for a first word to communicate
itself with a hesitant beat
to the white sheet.
— From 'Olympia', Derek Mahon
Description
‘You thought you’d done.’ Against the Clock, a surprising and exciting development, brings together
Derek Mahon’s recent work — that is, since New Collected Poems. These new poems, some
autobiographical, most written in the space of a year, concern themselves with age and time, ‘the
mere fact of existence’ and the creative principle itself. One of the finest contemporary poets, the
author here demonstrates once again an unfailing poetic energy — ‘still singing, still going strong.’
