{"id":4468,"date":"2015-08-14T16:27:49","date_gmt":"2015-08-14T16:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/?p=4468"},"modified":"2015-08-14T16:27:49","modified_gmt":"2015-08-14T16:27:49","slug":"machinus-rofocale-a-poem-by-joseph-armstead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/machinus-rofocale-a-poem-by-joseph-armstead\/","title":{"rendered":"MACHINUS ROFOCALE. A Poem by Joseph Armstead"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> &nbsp;<br \/>\n &nbsp;<br \/>\n<strong>Tinny, brittle music wafts like cigar smoke<\/p>\n<ul>from out the open doors to a dingy bar,<\/ul>\n<p>where the leather-coated Machine Men speak<\/p>\n<ul>through plastic masks in rough whispers.<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\nToday, the lemon sun above the amber fog of industrial haze will not shine &#8212;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nAnd my Dream of You asphyxiates, ink-smudged and soiled, sinking into a bed of clouds&#8230;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\ni.  The Exquisite Concatenation of Elastic Chaos<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThe victims march single file from the set<br \/>\nof a televised Game Show<br \/>\nwhere Time and Mind are manipulated<br \/>\nby strange mathematics and arcane<br \/>\nsorcery<br \/>\nas the Automaton Master of Ceremonies explains<br \/>\nto these departing, blank-eyed contestants,<br \/>\nthe Rules of Engagement for their commercial gain.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s all white noise<br \/>\nfiltered<br \/>\nthrough a sound mixing board<br \/>\nby a synesthesiac<br \/>\nmadman.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThere is a sense of Order beneath<br \/>\nthe overly-regimented<br \/>\nfacile architecture<br \/>\npresented with unearned fanfare<br \/>\nto a comatose viewing audience.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nSeeing this past the sutures<br \/>\nthat have sewn its eyes shut,<br \/>\nChaos is weary, but nonetheless amused.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThe march of the disenfranchised penguins goes the wrong way.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nSomething bad is happening.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nii.  A Spectrum of Contradictions in Deepest Black<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nNo one is supposed to talk about it.<br \/>\nNo one is supposed to know about it.<br \/>\nThe secret is not kept hidden.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nMaybe it is best that way.<br \/>\nMaybe transparency is best.<br \/>\nMaybe we need to know<br \/>\nthat which we do not<br \/>\nwant to know,<br \/>\neven though we have<br \/>\nsubconsciously<br \/>\nsuspected it<br \/>\nall along.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThe Truth does not set you free.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIt invades you like a virus,<br \/>\ninvading, unwelcome and infectious,<br \/>\nand our expectations<br \/>\ndarken and curl at the edges,<br \/>\nlike smouldering paper as it burns.<br \/>\nIt battles with our natural defenses,<br \/>\nrevealing our immuno-deficiencies,<br \/>\nspotlighting weaknesses<br \/>\nin the Body Politic.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nChaos is weary, but nonetheless amused.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nSomething bad is happening.<br \/>\n &nbsp;<br \/>\n &nbsp;<br \/>\niii.  The Collapse of Zazen Structure During Fractured Fission<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIt is a quiet night in Shadow-Town.<br \/>\nThe echoes of Industrial Authority<br \/>\nhave begun to fade like the hush<br \/>\nof a far distant surf upon<br \/>\nthe debris-strewn shore.<br \/>\n &nbsp;<br \/>\nYou are in my vision,<br \/>\na focus of painful ecstasy,<br \/>\nthe rupturing of heavy nuclei<br \/>\nunder the relentless, streaming<br \/>\nassault<br \/>\nof acrimonious proto-atomic<br \/>\ncatalysts,<br \/>\na rain of beauty and tragedy and fury,<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&#8230; a dream &#8230;<br \/>\n &nbsp;<br \/>\naccompanied by the sound of murmured prayers<br \/>\nspoken in an empty, unhallowed hall of mirrors<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nA consecrated Mass<br \/>\nthat dares not be spoken<br \/>\ntoo loud, lest the potency<br \/>\nof its message<br \/>\nbe lost<br \/>\npast the dark, open maw<br \/>\nand down the deep gullet,<br \/>\nof a bird of carrion prey.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nI can see the blossoming<br \/>\ndelicacy<br \/>\nof your growing decay,<br \/>\nan alien viral corruption.<br \/>\nSeeing this past the sutures<br \/>\nthat have sewn its eyes shut,<br \/>\nTruth does not reveal itself.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nMaybe it is best that way.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThe leather-coated Machine Men<br \/>\nare pallbearers<br \/>\nof my Dream Of You.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nChaos is amused, but nonetheless bitter.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nSomething bad is happening.<\/strong><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<strong>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/1196372998383oj4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/1196372998383oj4-300x188.jpg\" alt=\"1196372998383oj4\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3930\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/1196372998383oj4-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/1196372998383oj4-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/1196372998383oj4-150x94.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/1196372998383oj4-400x250.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/1196372998383oj4.jpg 1680w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<strong>BIO<\/strong><br clear=\"none\" \/><strong> <\/strong><br clear=\"none\" \/><strong>Joseph Armstead is a suspense-thriller and horror author living in the United States&#8217; San Francisco Bay Area.   Author of a dozen short stories and ten novels, his poetry has been published in a wide range of online journals, webzines and print magazines.   A mathematician, Futurist and computer technologist, Mr. Armstead&#8217;s poetry often defies easy description, but frequently includes neo-classical imagery, surrealist viewpoints and post-modern themes.<\/strong><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/robin@artvilla.com\">robin@artvilla.com<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PoetryLifeTimes\">PoetryLifeTimes<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/%20www.artvilla.com\/plt\">Poetry Life &#038; Times<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artvilla.com\">www.artvilla.com<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Artvilla.com\">Artvilla.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-socializer wpsr-share-icons\" data-lg-action=\"show\" data-sm-action=\"show\" data-sm-width=\"768\"><h3>Share and Enjoy !<\/h3><div class=\"wpsr-si-inner\"><div class=\"wpsr-counter wpsrc-sz-40px\" style=\"color:#000\"><span class=\"scount\" data-wpsrs=\"\" data-wpsrs-svcs=\"pinterest,print,pdf,twitter\"><i class=\"fa fa-share-alt\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><small class=\"stext\">Shares<\/small><\/div><div class=\"socializer sr-popup sr-count-1 sr-40px sr-pad\"><span class=\"sr-pinterest\"><a data-pin-custom=\"true\" data-id=\"pinterest\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=&amp;media=&amp;description=\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Submit this to Pinterest\"><i class=\"fab fa-pinterest\"><\/i><span class=\"ctext\" data-wpsrs=\"\" data-wpsrs-svcs=\"pinterest\"><\/span><\/a><\/span>\n<span class=\"sr-print\"><a data-id=\"print\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printfriendly.com\/print?url=\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Print this article \"><i class=\"fa fa-print\"><\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<span class=\"sr-pdf\"><a data-id=\"pdf\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printfriendly.com\/print?url=\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Convert to PDF\"><i class=\"fa fa-file-pdf\"><\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<span class=\"sr-twitter\"><a data-id=\"twitter\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=%20-%20%20\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Tweet this !\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<span class=\"sr-share-menu\"><a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"More share links\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\" data-metadata=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;excerpt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;short-url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;rss-url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.artvilla.com\\\/plt\\\/feed\\\/&quot;,&quot;comments-section&quot;:&quot;comments&quot;,&quot;raw-url&quot;:null,&quot;twitter-username&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;fb-app-id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;fb-app-secret&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\"><i class=\"fa fa-plus\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-socializer wpsr-share-icons\" data-lg-action=\"show\" data-sm-action=\"show\" data-sm-width=\"768\"><div class=\"wpsr-si-inner\"><div class=\"socializer sr-popup sr-32px sr-pad\"><span class=\"sr-facebook\"><a data-id=\"facebook\" style=\"background-color:#1e73be;color:#8224e3;\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share.php?u=\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Share this on Facebook\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\"><\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<span class=\"sr-share-menu\"><a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"More share links\" style=\"background-color:#1e73be;color:#8224e3;\" data-metadata=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;excerpt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;short-url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;rss-url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.artvilla.com\\\/plt\\\/feed\\\/&quot;,&quot;comments-section&quot;:&quot;comments&quot;,&quot;raw-url&quot;:null,&quot;twitter-username&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;fb-app-id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;fb-app-secret&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\"><i class=\"fa fa-plus\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; Tinny, brittle music wafts like cigar smoke from out the open doors to a dingy bar, where the leather-coated Machine Men speak through plastic masks in rough whispers. &nbsp; Today, the lemon sun above the amber fog of industrial haze will not shine &#8212; &nbsp; And my Dream of You asphyxiates, ink-smudged and &#8230; <a title=\"MACHINUS ROFOCALE. A Poem by Joseph Armstead\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/machinus-rofocale-a-poem-by-joseph-armstead\/\" aria-label=\"More on MACHINUS ROFOCALE. A Poem by Joseph Armstead\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,43],"tags":[18,136,3],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4468"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4468"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4474,"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4468\/revisions\/4474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artvilla.com\/plt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}