The End of the Clockwork Universe

A luminous new perspective on aging, science, and the tender strangeness of being alive.

What does it mean to exist in a universe that refuses to stay still? In The End of the Clockwork Universe, Fleda Brown weaves together the vastness of cosmic discovery with the intimate textures of daily life. Ranging from quarks to catalytic converters, snapping turtles to black holes, these poems trace the mysteries of time and perception, offering a voice both unsentimental and deeply compassionate.

With wry humor and unending curiosity, Brown walks the fine line between knowing and not knowing, between order and entropy. Her poems wander through scientific revelation and personal reflection and capture the quiet astonishment of existence. The End of the Clockwork Universe does not seek to solve life’s uncertainties, but sings to them, leaving behind echoes of resilience and the sheer joy of paying attention.

Fleda Brown is a poet and author. Her work has appeared in The Best American Poetry and has won a Pushcart Prize among many other accolades. Her recent memoir is Mortality, with Friends. Her earlier poems can be found in The Woods Are on Fire: New & Selected Poems.