This poem was inspired by a Howard Miller clock that presently graces my wall a few feet from my desk. I had long wanted to write a poem about the history of the clock, but I had a hard time getting started. I finally conquered my writer’s block by simplifying the poem’s structure by using a series of couplets. I also simplified the story I wanted to tell. When I moved to Clifton Springs, for example, the clock’s pendulum went missing for a while. The story of what happened to the pendulum seemed too complicated (and perhaps too uninteresting) to put into a poem.

The clock had been in storage for years, and, although it was not obviously in need of servicing, I had the clock fully reconditioned. As a result, the mechanism is actually better than new due to the installation of better bearings. It keeps time well, though not as well as would an electronic timepeice.

As noted in the poem, the clock does not chime. Instead, it bongs once on the half hour and bongs to signal the hour. The tone is produced by a hammer striking a metal spiral. Part of that spiral can be seen in the picture at left beyond the 2 o’clock position. Admittedly, the sounds produced by the clock are less musical than one might like, but it does the job. The clock ticks, of course, and before I installed the clock in its current position, I worried that the ticking would be distracting. Unless there are no other sounds in the room, however, the ticking is inaudible.

When I feared that the clock’s pendulum was lost, I called Howard Miller in the hope of obtaining a replacement. The company disclaimed any knowledge of this model clock. Howard Miller did, however, give me the name of a local clockmaker.

I began writing the poem on 8/3/2025 in anticipating of presenting it to a recently created writer’s group meeting at the Clifton Springs Library the next day. I finished a draft on 8/4/2025. The group objected to the second line of the couplet

For the marriage dissolved before forever,
Would anyone want the clock, ever?

I was never satisfied with this line, so I changed it to what you see above. I also made three minor changes, all in the fourth couplet. Additional minor changes were also made on 8/12/2025.

I was distressed to learn that Howard Miller Clock Company, which has produced many beautiful timepieces, is closing down. I found the following information on Wikipedia:

In July 2025, Howard Miller announced that it would go out of business, citing poor housing market conditions and tariffs in the second Trump administration. The company said it will wind down production by the end of the year and sell its remaining inventory in 2026.