Child Valda's Wheelright
The poem is a commentary on the show. It is as fictional as the show in that we only have inference to Valda’s view of catching the Amyrlin Seat. It switches perspectives amongst him, Egwene, and Perrin.
I wrote about my attempts to bond with my new parrot Annie Mae as foreshadowing for Valda fantasizing the reverse - breaking the victim and her bonded warder. In poetry the opposites are meant to be poignant symbols.
It begins by skipping the morning schedule because there is no mourning in the violence Valda commits.
It also goes straight to lunchtime and speaks to sleep because it idiomatically 'takes us to lunch' from Jordan’s intentions, and makes some viewers want to lose their lunch with violence. The sleeping infers death. Annie Mae's nap (snap) infers the way Egwene had to snap upright to have her hair combed.
The next line's “Sheet” continues death foreshsadowing and the way the Aes Sedai are seen being dressed by in white by the whitecloaks before trial. “Cheeks to pat” is double entendre and similarly infers that this is done pejoratively as they are washed and finally seated. That speaks to the Amyrlin "Seat". “Pat” could also infer “stat”/ in a hurry as they prep the victim.
“Half past noon” is looking toward the light, but it’s actually the moon, which is why the wolves will be "zooming" into the fight instead of whitecloaks. This is subtle irony to those who know female and male eclectus dynamics and know the blog enough to know that's what Annie Mae is. Although Perrin is the reason for the wolves coming, they are poetically associated with lunar cycles as are women. This is subtlely saying that Annie Mae, like Egwene, could be taking care of the whole thing herself if she knew how to use herself. Tico is our neighbor’s bird - Annie Mae is in love with him but hasn't actually zoomed with him yet.
As for Tico's symbol, Perrin, "her man is on standby" refers to Perrin being on Valda's testimonial stand, lyrically ready to say goodbye, needing an alibi....
At 1:00, Annie Mae’s meal is bland , hence Egwene’s thinking of Rand - That’s what I thought when I wrote it b/c the producers watered Rand down for my preference. It could also be seen as saying male and female fertility as its referenced often in the books and show: penis and ovulation. As in Perrin and Egwene are thinking of their loved ones when faced by Valda, the top man (1) and the decision to use the One Power. Annie Mae gets banana slices and egg halves. So it also foreshadows Perrin’s golden eyes. 1:00 is where it transitions from the kids' perspectives to Valda’s. They all meet up together at that point. Before that point, the voice is indicated by the fact that there are two value-laden numbers 12:00 (that add up to 3 - I believe they would never be alone. That’s also what the one power is all about).
You’ll see what happens when Valda carries the Torch.
At 2:00, (he looks at them both), he refers to the artificial fondness of Egwene, and the bite strap Perrin has, and boo/bond/fond = bond between a warder and Aes Sedai.
At three, is where the poem stops the colons. In other words, he stops eating and begins torture (playtime) full on. The blade is singing/ringing, and the kiss of steel is all wrong.
At four, Egwene must decide if she’ll bring in the One power to “spray/save” Perrin or if he’ll die.
Hydration means she tried it… and "feat" means she felt defeat/ she looked at her feet.
“At dinner time” means he felt content, successful, when… "legumes" the legions (wolves) come, and distract, so Egwene and Perrin can attack. (Reference to what wolves eat = pigs and the story of pigs in the bible that Christ cast legions of evil into / food chain = these wolves are eating evil)
“Scuze me honey” is a play on words for execution referring to what Egwene is about to do.
"You wanted a whattie?" is foreshadowing her ability to 'hydrate' or use the one power well by saying there is more than one way to skin a cat.
“Well early to bed…” Valda is early to bed. They are quick to skedaddle.
“These rings! those golden eyes!” seems obvi but it’s redundant to Perrin’s eyes and the rings Egwene takes back. In poetry redundant = important. These two are ta'veren and linked together like these sentences.
This is my bird Annie Mae’s actual schedule with a little poetic liberty; I wrote this on the day that last line was important to me. I found out her age that night by looking at her eye rings.