Dothead

In the poem, the speaker’s friends are ignorant of the bindi’s symbolism, which triggers tension. The friends do not know that the bindi stands for the value of spiritual insight. Furthermore, they seem unaware of the power of symbols to invoke, bring closer, and facilitate the fulfillment of the value or goal they represent. The speaker tries to explain that idea with the metaphor of the treasure map. The “X” on the map “says where treasure’s at” (Line 8), but it does more than that: It “is not the treasure, but as good as treasure” (Line 9) because it will lead to the treasure. Similarly, pious people wear or use religious symbols because these images or objects lead their minds toward religious thoughts and sentiments. Because the speaker is too young to articulate that idea, he enacts it by putting a dollop of ketchup on his forehead. He describes the red dot he creates as a powerful symbol: “the red planet entered the house of war” (Line 25) and “my third eye burned those schoolboys in their seats” (Line 27). In other words, he hopes that his confrontational gesture will embarrass them into learning to be more sensitive about other people’s symbols.