--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Caxtons are mechanical birds with many…" description: "\"“Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings and some are treasured for their markings-- they cause the eyes to melt or the body to shriek without pai..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/craig-raine-30853_haunted_caxtons-are-mechanical-birds-with-many-w_1806885.jpg" --- # Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings and some are… ![“Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings and some are treasured for their markings-- they cause the eyes to melt or the body to shriek without pain. I have never seen one fly, but sometimes they perch on the hand. Mist is when the sky is tired of flight and rests its soft machine on the…” quote by Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/craig-raine-30853_haunted_caxtons-are-mechanical-birds-with-many-w_1806885.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/craig-raine-30853_haunted_caxtons-are-mechanical-birds-with-many-w_1806885.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/craig-raine-30853_haunted_caxtons-are-mechanical-birds-with-many-w_1806885.jpg) > ““Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings and some are treasured for their markings-- they cause the eyes to melt or the body to shriek without pain. I have never seen one fly, but sometimes they perch on the hand. Mist is when the sky is tired of flight and rests its soft machine on the ground: then the world is dim and bookish like engravings under tissue paper. Rain is when the earth is television. It has the properites of making colours darker. Model T is a room with the lock inside -- a key is turned to free the world for movement, so quick there is a film to watch for anything missed. But time is tied to the wrist or kept in a box, ticking with impatience. In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps, that snores when you pick it up. If the ghost cries, they carry it to their lips and soothe it to sleep with sounds. And yet, they wake it up deliberately, by tickling with a finger. Only the young are allowed to suffer openly. Adults go to a punishment room with water but nothing to eat. They lock the door and suffer the noises alone. No one is exempt and everyone's pain has a different smell. At night, when all the colours die, they hide in pairs and read about themselves -- in colour, with their eyelids shut.”” [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage uses surreal imagery to explore how objects and experiences intertwine, reflecting on perception, memory, and the passage of time. **In simple terms:** Objects and moments blend, shaping how we see the world. Key Takeaway Notice how everyday things trigger deeper thoughts. Themes perception memory time surrealism Mood curious introspective Type literary poetic When to use this quote - reading poetry - observing art - reflecting on daily life Key Concepts symbolism metaphor psychology Questions to Reflect On - What everyday object holds hidden meaning for you? - How do you interpret surreal descriptions? A Different Perspective The abstract style may be confusing without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body Shriek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-shriek-2080508/) [Caxtons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caxtons-2080507/) [Ghost Cries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost-cries-2080505/) [Haunted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haunted/) [Haunted Apparatus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haunted-apparatus-2080506/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Tissue paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tissue-paper/) [Without pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-pain/) ## Related quotes > [Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings And some are treasured for their markings - They cause the eyes to melt Or the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/caxtons-are-mechanical-birds-with-many-wings-and-some-are-treasured-2/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“Yes; she’s one of the few. In my youth,” Miss Jackson rejoined, “it was considered vulgar to dress in the newest fashions; and Amy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/yes-she-s-one-of-the-few-in-my-youth-miss-jackson-rejoined-it-was/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“It seems my heart is made of tissue paper; I wish the world would handle it more delicately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/it-seems-my-heart-is-made-of-tissue-paper-i-wish-the-world-would/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [PAST is a WASTE paper, PRESENT is a NEWS paper, FUTURE is a QUESTION paper. So read N write carefully other wise LIFE will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/past-is-a-waste-paper-present-is-a-news-paper-future-is-a-question/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is that happy stretch of time when the lovers set to chronicling their passion. 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Sometimes it’s tissue paper. And I think the times it’s tissue paper are when you need to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/you-know-sometimes-marriage-is-iron-sometimes-it-s-tissue-paper-and-i/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## More by Craig Raine > [The task of the artist at any time is uncompromisingly simple to discover what has not yet been done, and to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/the-task-of-the-artist-at-any-time-is-uncompromisingly-simple-to/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“In his autobiography Stravinsky relates that the first music he remembers was made by a peasant, working his hand in his armpit to produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/in-his-autobiography-stravinsky-relates-that-the-first-music-he/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“Friendship is one friend betraying another friend to a third friend. With a fond friendly smile. The greater the betrayal, the greater the intimacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/friendship-is-one-friend-betraying-another-friend-to-a-third-friend/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“When Julia was twenty-nine, her hair was already bar-coded. Now, at sixty-two, it was a solid helmet of bright pewter, level with her lean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/when-julia-was-twenty-nine-her-hair-was-already-bar-coded-now-at/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“I am awaiting the return of the nerves to the epidermis. They're being pretty damn slow about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/i-am-awaiting-the-return-of-the-nerves-to-the-epidermis-they-re-being/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“It was like being trapped forever in the present tense of the first line of a first reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/it-was-like-being-trapped-forever-in-the-present-tense-of-the-first/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“Here she is at her kitchen table, fingering a jigsaw of thalidomide ginger, thinking about the arthritis in her hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/here-she-is-at-her-kitchen-table-fingering-a-jigsaw-of-thalidomide/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“In the morning, when she walked to the consulate, carefully watching her sandals on the pavement, she glanced up and saw a Negro wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/in-the-morning-when-she-walked-to-the-consulate-carefully-watching/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“Her laugh. The way she smoked before she gave up. Smoke trickling up her nostrils. Spokes of smoke when she spoke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/her-laugh-the-way-she-smoked-before-she-gave-up-smoke-trickling-up/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“...much of poetry in the making is the fiddle with a few items. You lay a word against another and wait. You try another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/much-of-poetry-in-the-making-is-the-fiddle-with-a-few-items-you-lay-a/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“The jery, impeded walk of a man stuck in a turnstile, admitted, and stuck in a turnstile, admitted, and stuck in a turnstile. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/the-jery-impeded-walk-of-a-man-stuck-in-a-turnstile-admitted-and/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [“Begin with the soft smelted upturned heart-shaped mouth made for smiling a smile kept for kindness, tenderness, incapable of malice. Am I going too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/begin-with-the-soft-smelted-upturned-heart-shaped-mouth-made-for/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings And some are treasured for their markings - They cause the eyes to melt Or the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/caxtons-are-mechanical-birds-with-many-wings-and-some-are-treasured-2/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [Great writers arrive among us like new diseases - threatening, powerful, impatient for patients to pick up their virus, irresistible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/great-writers-arrive-among-us-like-new-diseases-threatening-powerful/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) > [I used to carry a copy of Ulysses with me everywhere just in case I was knocked down by a bus. It seemed more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/i-used-to-carry-a-copy-of-ulysses-with-me-everywhere-just-in-case-i/) [Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) [Explore all 17 Craig Raine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/) ## More Haunted quotes > [I love ghost stories, I love to read them, and I love the idea of being haunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-love-ghost-stories-i-love-to-read-them-and-i-love-the-idea-of-being/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [“...the haunted always take refuge in stillness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-dodd/the-haunted-always-take-refuge-in-stillness/) [Christina Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-dodd/) > [I don't like haunted houses or anything like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-burrow/i-don-t-like-haunted-houses-or-anything-like-that/) [Joe Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-burrow/) > [I keep all my clothes on in House on Haunted Hill, Mary Jane's Last Dance, and The Way of the Gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taye-diggs/i-keep-all-my-clothes-on-in-house-on-haunted-hill-mary-jane-s-last/) [Taye Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taye-diggs/) > [They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. Mists gather here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/they-call-them-the-haunted-shores-these-stretches-of-devonshire-and/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“She herself is a haunted house. She does not possess herself; her ancestors sometimes come and peer out of the window of her eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/she-herself-is-a-haunted-house-she-does-not-possess-herself-her/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [...you don't need ghosts to be haunted. Memory does that just fine without any supernatural help at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/you-don-t-need-ghosts-to-be-haunted-memory-does-that-just-fine/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“She haunted the makeup department until she was bored, then took a look around home furnishings. She wasn't ever going to get another dining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/she-haunted-the-makeup-department-until-she-was-bored-then-took-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Despite the way she rallied, the haunted look in her eyes was enough to break him, as lost and lonely as an abandoned child’s.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mcintyre/despite-the-way-she-rallied-the-haunted-look-in-her-eyes-was-enough/) [Katherine McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mcintyre/) > [“Every town has ‘THAT house’: the one that once held dark secrets. You know the house… the one no one will purchase? The one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-caskey/every-town-has-that-house-the-one-that-once-held-dark-secrets-you/) [James Caskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-caskey/) > [“..., imagine a loamy earth that starts with genocide, then adds a mix of further disease, wars, hurricanes, murder, great fires, dueling, insurrection and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-caskey/imagine-a-loamy-earth-that-starts-with-genocide-then-adds-a-mix-of/) [James Caskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-caskey/) > [“Darkness lingered in those blue eyes, like ghosts haunted him despite only the two of them standing in this cabin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mcintyre/darkness-lingered-in-those-blue-eyes-like-ghosts-haunted-him-despite/) [Katherine McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mcintyre/) > [“Your eyes remained haunted. Seeing something in the world that your mirth can not dissolve.” I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/your-eyes-remained-haunted-seeing-something-in-the-world-that-your/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“The director said he's got a haunted soul and a natural sweetness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/the-director-said-he-s-got-a-haunted-soul-and-a-natural-sweetness/) [Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/) > [Hotels are really scary. There are a lot of haunted ones in L.A. that I want to check out. So many people come in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-peters/hotels-are-really-scary-there-are-a-lot-of-haunted-ones-in-l-a-that-i/) [Evan Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-peters/) [Browse all 398 Haunted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haunted/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings and some are treasured for their markings-- they cause the eyes to melt or the body to shriek without pain. I have never seen one fly, but sometimes they perch on the hand. Mist is when the sky is tired of flight and rests its soft machine on the ground: then the world is dim and bookish like engravings under tissue paper. Rain is when the earth is television. It has the properites of making colours darker. Model T is a room with the lock inside -- a key is turned to free the world for movement, so quick there is a film to watch for anything missed. But time is tied to the wrist or kept in a box, ticking with impatience. In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps, that snores when you pick it up. If the ghost cries, they carry it to their lips and soothe it to sleep with sounds. And yet, they wake it up deliberately, by tickling with a finger. Only the young are allowed to suffer openly. Adults go to a punishment room with water but nothing to eat. They lock the door and suffer the noises alone. No one is exempt and everyone's pain has a different smell. 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