There are horses in the basement,
And mysteries in machinery —
The night mares of abasement,
But deus ex machina scenery.
A pilgrim from a mare’s nest
Rides in equanimity,
His engine’s equine affinity
Has pistons for a prayerfest;
Oh sailor in the horse latitudes
Of mares ad mare, marist and marine,
The currents are your chargers of beatitude,
Becalmed in the combustion and serene.
Deus ex machina – Literally, “a god from a machine,” an allusion to the practice in ancient Greek and Roman drama of lowering a god onto the stage by means of a crane (in a heavenly cloud or chariot) in order to solve difficulties. Hence, any person or thing that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly, as in fiction or drama, to provide a way out of an apparently inescapable dilemma.
Mare’s Nest – A place, condition, or situation of great disorder or confusion; also, something that appears at first to be wonderful, but that turns out to be imaginary or a hoax.
Horse Latitudes – Either of two regions in the neighborhood of 30° N and 30° S latitude characterized by high pressure, calms, and light baffling winds; especially that part of the northern region which is over the Atlantic Ocean.
Ad mare – Latin for “to the sea.”
Marist – Pertaining to the worship of, or work in honor of, the Virgin Mary; usually capitalized when designating a member of the Roman Catholic Society of Mary founded in France in 1816 and devoted to education.
Charger – A cavalry horse or an officer’s horse for battle or parade.
The currents are your chargers – A pun on electrical current and ocean current; also a pun on electrical charger and “charger” meaning a cavalry horse.