Life As Mathematics

[miyako73]

Let X be any;
Rationality implying,
Dead, I'm unknown.
Assuming Y...
Idle thought,
Struggle, my assumption.
If and only if Z is-
The end, so limited,
No hope, not even wishing.
My existence,
Square root of negative one:
Imaginary.

[cacian]

very nice indeed. I enjoy this kind of mathematical thinking poetry it makes you think.
Thank you for posting miayko73 :)

[Lokasenna]

A clever, thoughtful and accomplished poem - one does not often see fusions of mathematics and poetry, but this works very well!

[tailor STATELY]

giggle

Me, myself, and i. I like it.

In the eighth grade I tried mixing quadratics into an art project (painting)... my art teacher was none too thrilled.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Charles Darnay]

I'm afraid I disagree with the above. With the exception of the last tow lines, the math and the rest of the poem don't fit quite well together.

[AuntShecky]

Well, one thing that poetry and mathematics share is that when they get too abstract, few can understand them.

[Nick Capozzoli]

JV Cunningham wrote some very fine poems based on mathematics. You might want to check them out.

[Adolescent09]

Well, one thing that poetry and mathematics share is that when they get too abstract, few can understand them.

You nailed it right on the head, Shecky. Gratz.

That being said, I see the poem quite linearly. It neither describes a math topic that is relatively abstract, (on the other hand it seems like it doesn't go beyond Calc 3) and on the other hand, the words: "implying", "unknown", "wishing" and "imaginary" appear to refer to the writer's confusion about the topic or the broad ambiguity regarding the extent of its application.

[qimissung]

R e m i n d e r

Please do not personalise your comments.

If you are not ready to accept the fact that your opinions might be questioned by the others,

please refrain from posting in public forums.

Posts containing such remarks and off-topic posts will be removed without further notice.

[Adolescent09]

{edit}

Back on topic: Now as I read my first post I can see how some might have misconstrued what I meant to say. I actually thought the poem was really good and described a confusion on the topic of mathematics that is shared by EVERYONE, even the most critically acclaimed mathematicians. Everyone has their own view on what constitutes a good poem. I just so happen to believe that a good poem takes a viewpoint shared by many people and conveys it in a thought-provoking manner. This poem does just that.

[miyako73]

It's not my fault if your reading of this poem is so literal and shallow or solely mathematical because you think this poem is purely about mathematics. I should have titled this with "Hard Life"--isn't mathematics hard?

"Assuming Y" is mathematical in form and language, but not necessarily only that. It can be "assuming why".

"Square root of negative one: Imaginary" may be mathematical but it can also be a metaphorical or literal language. "Square" (stiff and rigid) as opposed to the circle (zen and relaxed). "Root" can be family, way of life, social background, ethnicity. "Negative one" is both -1 and a person who is not optimist. Imaginary (number i) is the answer in that equation, and it also says about the dreamed life of the "negative one"--the pessimist.

Again, I did not write this poem to be only interpreted literally throughout. I wanted it to be visual, aural, mathematical, linguistic, metaphorical, literal, and above all, emotional and cerebral.

I hope this helps.