"Makebelieve" by Pádraig Ó Tuama

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend March 2, 2019   Makebelieve   Pádraig Ó Tuama

And on the first day god made something up. Then everything came along: seconds, sex and beasts and breaths and rabies; hunger, healing, lust and lust's rejections; swarming things that swarm inside the dirt; girth and grind and grit and shit and all shit's functions; rings inside the treetrunk and branches broken by the snow; pigs' hearts and stars, mystery, suspense and stingrays; insects, blood and interests and death; eventually, us, with all our viruses, laments and curiosities; all our songs and made-up stories; and our songs about the stories we've forgotten; and all that we've forgotten we've forgotten; and to hold it all together god made time and those rhyming seasons that display decay.            Copyright © 2019 Pádraig Ó Tuama. Used with permission of the author.   Watch Pádraig Ó Tuama reading today's Poem-a-Day "Makebelieve," as part of What Is It, Then, Between Us: Poetry & Democracy. About This Poem   "When it comes to 'Freedom of Religion', much attention is given to the words freedom and religion. However, the of is also worthy of mention. Religion is free; it is free to query, to make meaning, to break things, to make things up. Religion is—or should be—free to change too, or to wrap itself around the delight and devastation of the human condition. Religion does not only provide a storypoem about the earth's creation, it also provides a form by which we can create, and recreate, break and makebelieve. We are made of hummus, the old texts tell us—we are also made of rot and time; danger and demand. In the beginning was a…what? You tell me." —Pádraig Ó Tuama   Pádraig Ó Tuama is the author of three poetry collections, including Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community (Canterbury Press, 2017) and Sorry for Your Troubles (Canterbury Press, 2013), both published in the United Kingdom. From 2014 to 2019, Ó Tuama was the leader of the Corrymeela Community. He lives in Ireland. Photo Credit Joran Martin Johansen Poetry by Ó Tuama   Sorry for Your Troubles (Canterbury Press, 2013) New Anthology: Curated by Pádraig Ó Tuama   Read this anthology of poems related to the freedom of religion, curated by Pádraig Ó Tuama and featuring poetry by W. B. Yeats, Marie Howe, Tracy K. Smith, Li-Young Lee, and Danusha Laméris. Learn More About The Corrymeela Community   Visit the website of The Corrymeela Community, Ireland's oldest reconciliation community, bringing over 10,000 people a year together on programs of dialogue, learning, and peace. What Is It, Then, Between Us?   Throughout March, poetry organizations in eleven cities that are a part of a national Poetry Coalition will offer programs on the theme of Poetry & Democracy. On Saturdays this month, Poem-a-Day will be inspired by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Share This Poem: #PoetryandDemocracy Find More Poems: Browse our Collection of 9,000+ Poems Support Poem-a-Day: Make a Monthly Donation Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038