The Infernal Machine By Gary William Crawford

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Robert_Moriyama
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Re: The Infernal Machine By Gary William Crawford

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

For someone like me, suffering from incipient carpal tunnel syndrome, a stiff neck, eyestrain, and a sore back from too many hours kneeling at the electronic altar, this poem strikes a definite chord (G minor?).<br><br>I believe (correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Crawford) that the line referred to by Therio is the narrator's questioning of his fate if he does not escape The Machine. Because it 'drains (his) blood' and 'distorts his mind', it is transforming him from a creature of flesh and blood and worldly concerns into a mystic, an ascetic monk-like figure contemplating the infinite (or an electronic facsimile thereof). The narrator asks if this is what he wants, if this is his true nature ...<br><br>I, on the other hand, found the line 'All but my mind is left' confusing. From the context, I would expect either 'Only my mind is left' or 'All but my mind has left' here ... or have I missed something?<br><br>And how ironic is it for us to read and comment on this poem using our own Infernal Machines?<br><br>Robert M.
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

Jack London (1876-1916)
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