(The Mystery of the Motorcycle Ignition)
The key lies on the window sill. It reflects the morning sun, breaking the stream of light into a thousand pointed rays. In the early morning, the air falls brisk and cool to the touch. In a swift motion, the key rises up with the swift motion of a hand. The hand carries this key out of the kitchen and down into the driveway.
Lining the path to the driveway, a series of lines of flowers sit to the right, with a bed of gravel sitting to the left. The lines of flowers sported flowers of purple, yellow, and finally white — three rows in total.
As the key moves toward the ignition, the ignition accepts the key. The key slides into the ignition, the metals grinding against each other as the teeth fall into place–a smooth, engineered fit. A finger flip activates the electrical connection. The teeth of the key lead the rotating lock mechanism. Pressing the button sparks an electrical connection.
From the battery to the stator motor, the circuit completes, and the cylinders hold a reaction. The pistons draw the gasoline and air into position as the shaft turns to align the timing. When the shaft turns to the correct position, the points close another circuit, sending an electrical current into the spark plugs igniting the gasoline and air mixture. BOOM! Sparks ignite a compressed mixture and the mixture expands. The expanding mixture slides the thick metal up which moves the shaft and aligns the timing again and BOOM! Once the system runs, the original electrical circuit shuts off having completed its job, starting the momentum.
Does the piston turn the shaft? Or does the shaft move the pistons, pulling the translational motion along its axis? Does the shaft close the contacts thus firing the spark plugs and pulling the mixture through the system? Or does the fiery mixture expand the mixture and push the piston? Once the dance has started, where is the dance? Are the cylinders vibrating or rotating, is the chain circling around or carrying momentum? It seems difficult to pinpoint the exact point of the system that causes the system to go!
A proper question would then be, who put the key into the ignition? A more proper question would be, when did that action start?
