Madeline Rides a Rickshaw (First Contact)
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Over the desert sand,
And from her place in the past tense,
She glides through the coming twilight
Lined in ombré dusk.
Here, she is the X value
Charted through the sandy path.
Her movement is plotted on a graph
And connects the Great tomb
With the distant vineyard beyond the horizon.
At 62.137 miles,
(T)here He pauses between breaths
and purifies metals with Fire.
At his feet
In the waters below,
A golden fish
Divides the estuary
As Elijah calls to John
And John calls to her
But Madeline is distracted,
As she “rode a ‘rick,’
Looking back to the city on the plain
Where she once lived.
It was a frozen salty image
Situated between the last night of harvest
And the first day of winter.
There, the boundary between the physical world and the spirit world thinned.
In this mortal realm,
The Undead peep through the blanket and cry
“Ring the alarum-bell!
There is no there!
There is no there.
All is lost.”
She believed them.
And in short,
she was afraid.
But for 12 full beats,
A black grandfather clock rings
And the pendulum swings.
Those monumental bookends of
life, birth and Death,
They encase the boundaries of the spirited.
In such a liminal place,
A brief candle will animate
The pause in the procession
Until it goes out, out.
This is your breath now, Madeline.
You are
The heir of a rotting house,
Consigned to decay,
But alas
There is the Good News:
Dear prophet, poet, and pilgrim!
Speak in this place.
Run
While the baton is yours
Arrive in the space between the end of the old And the start of the new.
This is the witching hour
And the message is strange:
Will you choose to transcend
Or will you choose to remain?
"Madeline...": This line introduces the protagonist, Madeline, and sets the scene for her journey. She rides a rickshaw over the desert sand, which symbolizes her barren and desolate condition.
"Madeline rides a rickshaw": The rickshaw is an allusion to Roderick, her brother in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Roderick represents the mental and spiritual decay that life brings, and his name also suggests “rode a ‘Rick’”, implying that he is the vehicle that carries Madeline on her path.
"...from her place in the past tense,/She glides through the coming twilight": This line shows that Madeline is in the past tense, which suggests that she is trapped in her history and memories. She glides through the coming twilight, which is a liminal space between day and night, where she can encounter the spiritual dimension. The twilight is also lined in ombré dusk, which is a gradient color that transitions from light to dark, representing Madeline’s potential change from ignorance to enlightenment.
"Here, she is the X value": This line reveals that Madeline only sees the horizontal axis of her life, from birth to death. She is the X value charted through the sandy path, which implies that she follows a linear and predictable course.
"Her movement is plotted on a graph": This line reinforces the idea that Madeline’s movement is plotted on a graph, which means that she has no freedom or creativity in her life. She is bound by a mathematical formula that determines her fate. Her name is "made (a) line."
"And connects the Great tomb/With the distant vineyard beyond the horizon": This line introduces two important symbols in the poem: the Great tomb and the distant vineyard. They are both allusions to the biblical stories of death and resurrection. The tomb represents the slavery of Egypt and the crucifixion of Christ, while the vineyard represents the promised land and the kingdom of God.
"At 62.137 miles,/An X Y axis forms/a-/Cross": This stanza introduces another important symbol in the poem: the X Y axis. It represents the cross and the Mediator, who is an allusion to Jesus Christ. The cross is a symbol of sacrifice and salvation, while Jesus Christ is a symbol of love and grace.
"Above the purple heat and the flowing sand": The purple heat and the flowing sand are metaphors for Madeline’s condition. The purple heat is a metaphor for her suffering and pain, while the flowing sand is a metaphor for her instability and uncertainty.
"At 62.137 miles": The 62.137 miles is a reference to [the Kármán line], which is an imaginary boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. It is also a liminal space between two different realms of existence.
"The threshold firmament": The threshold firmament is an allusion to [the biblical cosmology], which describes a dome-like structure that separates the waters above from the waters below, and contains the sun, moon, and stars. It is also a symbol of God’s creation and sovereignty.
"It perfectly frames the Mediator/Who stands underneath the waters above": The Mediator is an allusion to Jesus Christ, who is also called the Mediator between God and humanity in [the New Testament]. He stands underneath the waters above, which implies that he is in heaven, but also close to Earth. He pauses between breaths, which suggests that he is alive and active, but also waiting and patient. He purifies metals with Fire, which is a metaphor for his role as a judge and a savior, who refines and redeems his people.
"In the waters below,/A golden fish/Divides the estuary": The golden fish is a symbol of Christianity, as it was used by early Christians as a secret sign of their faith. It also represents Jesus Christ, who is called the [fisher of men] and the [bread of life]. The fish divides the estuary, which is a metaphor for the separation of the righteous and the wicked, or the saved and the lost.
"As Elijah calls to John/And John calls to her": Elijah and John are allusions to [the prophets Elijah] and [John the Baptist], who both prepared the way for Jesus Christ. Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, while John baptized Jesus in the Jordan river. They both call to Madeline, who is also a prophet, poet, and pilgrim, and invite her to follow Jesus Christ.
"But Madeline is distracted.../Looking back to the city on the plain": This stanza shows that Madeline is distracted by her past and her worldly attachments. She looks back to the city on the plain where she once lived, which is an allusion to [Sodom and Gomorrah], the sinful cities that were destroyed by fire and brimstone from God. It was also where Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.
"It was a frozen salty image/Situated between the last night of harvest": The city is a frozen salty image, which implies that it is dead and preserved in memory. It is situated between the last night of harvest and the first day of winter, which are symbols of death and decay. There, the boundary between the physical world and the spirit world thinned, which means that Madeline had a chance to see beyond her material reality and glimpse into her spiritual destiny.
"The undead peep through the blanket": The Undead are an allusion to [the living dead], or those who are alive in body but dead in spirit. They are also an allusion to [the witches in Macbeth], who prophesied Macbeth’s rise and fall. They peep through the blanket, which suggests that they are hidden and deceptive. They cry “Ring the alarum-bell!”, which is a quote from Macbeth’s soliloquy after he killed King Duncan. They also repeat “There is no there!”, which implies that they deny or doubt the existence of God or heaven.
"She believed them/And in short/she was afraid": Madeline believed them, which means that she succumbed to their influence and lost her faith. And in short, she was afraid, which means that she felt hopeless and helpless.
"But for 12 full beats,/A black grandfather clock rings/And the pendulum swings": This stanza introduces another important symbol in the poem: the black clock. It represents time and mortality, as well as fate and judgment. The clock rings for 12 full beats, which implies that it marks an hour or a day, or a cycle or a completion. The pendulum swings, which suggests that it measures or balances time or life.
"Those monumental bookends of life, birth and Death": The monumental bookends of life, birth and Death, are metaphors for the beginning and the end of our existence. They encase the boundaries of our spirited, which means that they limit or define our spiritual potential.
"In such. liminal place, a brief candle will animate/The pause in the procession": The liminal place is a metaphor for the twilight or the threshold, where Madeline can transcend or remain. The brief candle is an allusion to [Macbeth’s soliloquy], where he compares life to a candle that burns out quickly. It will animate the pause in the procession, which means that it will give life or meaning to the moment or the choice. Until it goes out, out, which means that it will end or expire.
"You are/The heir of a rotting house": This stanza addresses Madeline directly and challenges her to make a decision about her destiny. It contrasts her mortal condition with her spiritual potential, and invites her to speak, awake, and arrive.
"This is your breath now, Madeline": This is your breath now, Madeline, means that this is your chance or opportunity now, Madeline. You are the heir of a rotting house, means that you are the descendant of a decaying family or lineage. Consigned to decay, means that you are destined or doomed to perish. But alas, means that there is a contrast or a surprise. There is the Good News, means that there is the gospel or the salvation.
"Dear prophet, poet, and pilgrim!": means that you are addressed with respect and affection, and that you have three possible roles or identities in life: a prophet who speaks God’s word, a poet who creates beauty and meaning, and a pilgrim who journeys towards God’s presence. Speak in this place, means that you are urged to express yourself or communicate with God in this liminal space. Awake, means that you are encouraged to be alert or aware of your situation and choice. While the baton is yours, means that you have the responsibility or opportunity to act or lead while you have the power or authority.
"Arrive in the space between the end of the old day and the start of the new one": you are invited to enter or reach the twilight or the threshold, where you can experience a change or a transformation. This is the witching hour, means that this is a special or magical time, where anything can happen or be revealed. And the message is strange, means that there is something unexpected or unusual about what you will hear or see.
"Will you choose to transcend Or will you choose to remain?": you are faced with a question or a dilemma about your destiny. You can choose to transcend your mortal fate and connect with the divine, or you can choose to remain in your worldly attachments and ignore the divine. This is the final and most important question in the poem.
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