Testimonies

The poems in "Testimonies "were written by Patrick O Halloran and have been translated from English to Gaelic, Polish, Russian and Spanish. They are intimate moments of self-analysis with philosophical conjectures which requires one to question "life, death, and some place in between." The reader is encouraged to consult for possibilities rather than the acceptance of convictions. The poems in general require us to reach back to ourselves to ask who we really are. In a recent interview, Professor O Halloran stated that "poetry s role allows us to preserve our memory, question traditional convictions and honor diversity. Poetry will unmask a genuine problem as we negotiate our relationships." Professor O Halloran hopes the metaphorical connections to evolution designates an implicit comparison to the evening of life will be felt in his body of work. "The common language of poetry which allows culture and heritage to be preserved resonates in the fact that fundamentally individualism leads to communalism. We all breathe with the same in-and-out rhythm of life experience and the translation of the poems result in highlighting less the differentiation rather than exclusion. If one can realize that in all cultures we are humans, maybe we can become a nation.""