ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE HEART -- AN APPRECIATION BY ELIZABETH ENGLISH

 


An Appreciation

A single poem is its own reward, and can be a kind of solace, a joy, shimmering in one’s memory long afterwards. There is something in us always wants to cling to that faint sliver of times past. Poems like the very ones in Archaeology of the Heart can be words as on a map of one’s life, brightly lit like a jewel-toned jukebox, rising up with a familiar music, and filling one with a longing for love, and for the lost and the found, in which the searing ache of a long-lost love can be discovered in the ardent poem entitled, Separate Rooms – “Wielded to wound / Listening to the intercourse of wind / And waves. / Tonight it's separate rooms.”

Like traditional, honeyed Irish soda bread or dark chocolate truffles suffused with plenty of good Irish whiskey, this charismatic book of poetry you hold in your hands, by Kieran Beville, an esteemed Irish poet, and the reading of the poems inside, is a satisfyingly nourishing, sensual experience to savour, over and over again. As in the poem entitled The Blue Bike, a tender, heart-warming, tale, where “Such joyful presence / Cannot be turned away.” Its attention to craft, passion for language, and with a profound understanding of the depths of the roots of memory, is an astounding work of poetry for the ages.

For those who wish to settle in for a delightful time, you will love everything you discover here, and as you peruse Archaeology of the Heart, you will either come to love poetry more, or you will discover it for the very first time. One of the great beauties of poetry you will find here is that it encompasses the full gamut of the true nature of the world around us, in luminous language and in a distinctive, unforgettable voice. They are told with an assured, confident mastery, and showcase the width and breadth of Beville’s talent, and his unique way of touching your heart with his words. Each of the memorable poems in this book is a kind of buried treasure!

Here, you will find a gentle, much-loved memory of the poet’s aged mother in Golden Threads, where “The patina of her ageing hands / Hovering like a pair of doves. / The beauty of her needlework / With golden threads of love.” And seek out these four stories, in an utterly distinctive poetry form: Different Eyes, Shadows, Granddad, and Falling In Love each of which is a joyous voyage into the very heart of the poet himself, and discover the depth of a perfect love, or a magnificent farewell. You will surely find your own personal favourites here! These poems, full of a delicate resonance with motifs of vibrant colour, passion and humour, express a life well-lived, adroitly explore complex emotions, and they can jolt the heart awake with well-remembered love of life and a sweet longing, from deep within one’s soul.

A poem should be like a lovely, alluring, silken spider’s web; if one touches any thread of it, the rest will always tremble. This collection of poems doesn’t disappoint, and each of the story-poems celebrates a different aspect of storytelling that has informed the poignant alchemy of the author’s life.

Elizabeth English

Editor, Creative Writing Consultant & Filmmaker

Founder & Director: Moondance International Film Festival.

Boulder, Colorado, January, 2023.

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