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No God Of Mind (There’s A House In My Ghost) - explained - Terry Flood's Blog

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No God Of Mind (There’s A House In My Ghost) - explained

Blog Posted:11/4/2021 12:49:00 PM

 

My poem 'No God Of  Mine' is seemingly confounding readers as to its meaning. Ordinarily, if I felt a poem wasn't  cutting it, I'd delete it, but on this occasion, I've been asked to explain it... so here goes.

[By way of prologue, the picture is indicative of a discovered text/book which hints at the possibility of eternal life/existence.]

 

[The opening verses describe a genius but deranged  inventor who having found the text/book builds a machine to manufacture building blocks into which he shall literally throw himself. This, when he denounces his God, shall bring him an eternal existence... in this case, within the very blocks his creation will create. His long term plan... not to haunt any house, but to be the house. To this end I had considered 'There's A House In My Ghost' as a title, but this poem was never meant to be funny, so that notion was ditched.]

 

1: The plan gets under way

A brilliant mind of malicious intent

Relinquishing life it's ire to vent

As genius schemes to steadfastly stand

The unwary stray shall succumb to his hand

 

2:  The machine is prepared for use

Thought in advance and precision laboured

Set automatic, eternity savoured

No human hand shall guide the contraption

Though flesh of the wretched shall end it's inaction

 

Checked and adjusted, boxes all ticked

Nuts taut to torque, switches all flicked

Mechanised rumblings as levers engage

Hands upon ladder that aides vented rage

 

3: Mad inventor climbs to a height, spreads his arms, crucifix style, and swallow dives into his machine. Upon death (or after?) he denounces his God... as per the text/book

Foot over foot and hand over hand

Ascending the rungs to last mortal stand

Madly gaze down upon sick deprivation

No bullet or rope, but self maceration

 

A crucifix born of a sanity slide

Calmly steps forward, then over the side

Gravity grapples what no God dared grasp

No flinch, twitch or judder and no deathly gasp

 

Disease of the flesh and degenerate mind

Sliced, diced and grated, butchered, entwined

Ditch the mortality, grasp perpetuity… 

Eternity born out of gory paternity

 

Multi toothed roller now mangling skin

Crushing the ribcage and organs therein

Rollers rotating the scarified giblets

Feeding the hoppers with pulverised tidbits

 

Vertebrae powdered as mouth falls agape

And brains splatter out as a well trodden grape

As mad mortal gloop is conveyed down the line

A voice issues loud, 'No God of mine'

 

No God of mine, I shall never pray

I shunned you before, I deprive you today

No God of mine and this is my way

My soul is my legacy... and it shall stay!

 

4: The remaining 'brick' ingredients are fed into the machine. Once made, these bricks are automatically stacked and the machine, when done, self cleans.

Cement, sand and gravel, blood, body and soul

Eternity bred from hell's darkest hole

Combine gruesome aggregates, hydrate the mix

Mould them and dry them, then stack up the bricks.

 

Machinery silent, rollers now stilled

No man shall know of the blood that has spilled

For sinister foresight meant nought would be seen

As auto clean jet-washers scour the machine

                              ***

5: Much time passes and the machine and the neatly stacked bricks are discovered. In three further years a new luxury home, built from those very bricks, sees its first new owner, who promptly and inexplicably, kills his wife. The next owner inexplicably kills himself. Nobody wants to buy a house with such history, so it is rented... and Ted kills Doris.

Ivy and nettle, bramble and dust

Seized engineering, cobweb and rust

Time welded padlock stuck firm inside

Yet a size ten key creaks doors open wide

 

One thousand sunsets and as many dawn's

Executive residence bounded by lawns

A house made of seemingly made on-site blocks

Where watches don't tick and a clock never tocks

 

Local celebrity, game show winner

Washes up after a housewarming dinner

She drys a tumbler, he washes a knife

So smoothly to slip through the ribs of his wife

 

Fashion designer, top of his game

All that are trendy brandish his name

Life is as good as he ever dared hope

As he silently swings at the end of a rope

 

House hunters wary, everyone suffers

When marketability contacts the buffers

And nobody knew when they took on the rental

That Doris would die when Ted went mental

 

6: The jinxed house is demolished and it's rubble used in the construction of a new motorway... but its spirit is not finished...

None would consider malignant presider

But one death too many, the final decider

Demolish the bleakness that evil bestowed

Rubble now hardcore laid under the road

 

Opened to traffic that very first day

Motorists flock to this new motorway

Fatalities soar as good driver Wayne

Does a handbrake turn in the outside lane

 

7: In true 'Hollywood' style, a cleric figures things out and convinces the powers that be to  banish the evil  materials  into space.

Finally figured the evil foundations

Lecturing NASA and United Nations

Scholar and cleric share grudging handshake

No media present for sanity's sake

 

8: The primary (logical) cause of the Challenger space shuttle disaster was an o-ring of a design that hadn’t been tested below fifty degrees. But hey... it’s Florida, right? That fateful night before the launch, the temperature went through the floor. That o-ring became brittle leading to its subsequent failure.

Convey sick damnation to safe outer space

Challenger writ upon stark carapace

For every contingency, no expense thrifty

And sometimes the mercury drops below fifty

 

Brittle components barely discussed 

But what dragged the mercury into the dust

A sinister presence with deeds set to do

Count seventy two, then the whole thing blew

 

9: The mad inventors malignant madness goes global

Precipitation; ash, fire and dust

Wind blown evil, as gust follows gust

Devilish snowflakes that settle at will

Malignant fulfillment of a mind that was ill

 

Anyone still reading? I thank and salute you... hope all is now clear.

 

 



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Date: 11/8/2021 7:10:00 AM
I know there are many poets out there who prefer not to explain their work and leave it up to the reader's own interpretations, but I have to say there have been many a time - as a reader - where I would have loved to have read such an indepth analysis of a poem that I enjoyed reading such as the one Terry has presented here. It's not always just the straightforward explanation of the poem I'm interested in either but the stories behind the poem and the way in which a poem was written that gives insights and clues into the writer and their style. Thanks Terry. Cheers - Gary
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Gary Radice
Date: 11/16/2021 8:16:00 AM
..I also like the reference in your title to a classic Northern Soul track by Canadian singer R Dean Taylor ;)
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Terry Flood
Date: 11/8/2021 7:50:00 AM
Thanks, Gary. As I told David, I’m grateful that Milt suggested this blog as I might otherwise have deleted the poem or at least tinkered with it. I’d still love to write the novel I had in mind but I know from experience that that involves a 2:30 a.m. bedtime on a regular basis as I rarely get to write during the day. Thanks again, Terry
Date: 11/7/2021 10:47:00 AM
This really is a fantastic story Terry, and the poem is even better, I'm delighted to read your intended interpretation, sometimes when we write imaginary or psychological poems, not everyone gets it, I honestly think this is one of the best if not the best on the whole ps website, cheers David
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Terry Flood
Date: 11/7/2021 11:44:00 AM
Well I can only say thank you for such praise. I’ve liked this from day one and I was loathe to mess with it. Of course, I understood what every line meant… which kinda helped. So I’m grateful that Milton suggested this blog. I don’t really do reverie but if Hollywood were to ask for a poem they could film, This would be one of my top two candidates. Again, thank you, David. Terry
Date: 11/5/2021 8:15:00 AM
Terry, I will not pretend to understand your poem even with notes but I do know it is written with skill. I think it is the type of poem that must be read over and over and taken verse by verse ~ peace and tranquility _Constance
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Terry Flood
Date: 11/5/2021 12:09:00 PM
Thankyou Constance. It’s a strange thing, but in my mind’s eye it’s completely clear. A demented, very angry boffin, striking back at the world by possessing a house (as opposed to being possessed by it). It seems my meaning was not as clear as I thought, so I thank you for the ‘written with skill’ and for reading it right through. Terry
Date: 11/4/2021 2:18:00 PM
Yes, I read it through again to the end, and I read all of your notes, which seem very appropriate to the poem. Your imagery is fantastic throughout. I believe many will enjoy the poem more having read the poet's notes. Thanks.
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Terry Flood
Date: 11/4/2021 2:34:00 PM
Thanks, Milt. This synopsis in poetic form is something I often do if I have an idea for a novel but can’t or don’t start it yet. Glad my notes clarified the story. Terry

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