Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"O" by Charles Henri Ford is a surreal and intense exploration of desire, suffering, and transformation. The poem, marked by its powerful opening invocation, “O seditious toxins of nostalgia / Found at the foot of the first fruits of love!” sets the tone for an intricate blend of romantic longing and subversive reflection. The language Ford employs here invokes a paradox, positioning nostalgia as both toxic and seditious—a force that undermines stability and grows at the intersection of love’s earliest experiences. This establishes a thematic tension that runs through the entire work.

The second stanza, “Mamelukes of primeval palmistry / Abandon the cross of highhanded talismen,” introduces historical and mystical imagery, suggesting figures who were known for loyalty and war now divest themselves of their spiritual and authoritative symbols. This act of abandonment could symbolize a relinquishment of old beliefs or rituals, paving the way for a world unfettered by tradition or former constraints. The reference to “Giants of inertia” fed “through the nose” adds a grotesque and exaggerated twist, emphasizing the excesses and paradoxes of stagnation. By depicting these giants as “insatiable as a woman on the eve of execution,” Ford merges themes of desire, finality, and transformation—suggesting a desperate, almost fatal hunger for life or fulfillment.

Ford’s surrealist flair is evident in lines such as “And the whole world is like a larva laid in space / Nowhere to be seen is the obsolete practice of self-cremation.” The world, envisioned as a larva, hints at a state of dormancy or potential, emphasizing that transformation lies latent within. The image of “self-cremation” being obsolete suggests that the age of self-destruction has passed, replaced perhaps by a new form of expression or revelation. The phrase “Debased spectacular energy is turned into poetry” acts as a self-reflective statement on the art form itself—transforming raw, even corrupted experiences into verses that resonate with unsettling beauty.

In “The Septembrists of a new carnality / Hold hands with numerological images,” Ford links historical revolutionaries to a “new carnality,” hinting at an upheaval in physical or sensual experience. The use of “numerological images” evokes the mystical and the precise, merging esoteric knowledge with raw, human touch. This section concludes with “Eruptive as religion, evocative as touch,” juxtaposing the transcendent and the corporeal, echoing Surrealism’s embrace of contradiction.

“Stupors of the most omnivorous colors / Envelop beholders of crime in the name of country” critiques nationalism or patriotism as a guise for darker motives, implying that vibrant, all-consuming hues shroud underlying violence or wrongdoing. This builds toward “Now comes the promise of an indefinable sickness / Sweet as the vision of a child plotting murder,” a line that embodies Surrealism’s love of the macabre and unexpected. The innocence of childhood contrasts sharply with the sinister plotting, exposing the dual nature inherent in seemingly pure or harmless states. “Epochs of agony dissolve like charley horses” gives a fleeting, painful image that implies sudden relief from long-endured suffering.

The closing invocations, “O sulphuric carols of revulsion and invention / Found at the foot of nowhere-to-go,” encapsulate a mood of profound disillusionment mixed with the creative impulse. Ford’s invocation of “carols,” which traditionally symbolize joy and festivity, paired with “sulphuric” and “revulsion,” captures an almost hellish celebration of existence’s darker sides. The paradox of being “at the foot of nowhere-to-go” implies a point of stasis yet also the potential for revelation or change when all familiar paths are exhausted.

Ford concludes with an escalation of surreal imagery: “Great are the castoff secrets of suffering / Raw the interchangeable parts of pleasure / A pile of stars, providential as ova.” The poem’s movement from suffering to pleasure, and finally to creation, suggests an evolution or rebirth born from pain and indulgence. The “Necropolis of vulpine nights” refers to a metaphorical city of the dead, shrouded in the cunning and nocturnal energy of foxes. The phrase “Monstrous mother of subliminal scavengers” encapsulates the hidden, consuming forces within us, born from dreams and nightmares. Ford ends with the line, “Rialtos revel in reptilian transfusions,” fusing the ideas of commerce, bridges, and the cold-blooded adaptability of reptiles—suggesting transformation, exchange, and the flow between worlds or states of being.

In "O," Charles Henri Ford traverses the surreal and the symbolic, dissecting themes of nostalgia, desire, and transformation. Through layers of unexpected juxtapositions, the poem challenges readers to engage with a world where suffering, creation, and indulgence coexist, each feeding into the cycle of art and experience. The piece stands as an exemplar of Ford’s surrealist mastery, refusing easy interpretation and inviting readers into a realm of profound contradiction and hidden truths.

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