Number Theory
By CATHARINE L., Belmont, MA
Who can understand these things called
Numbers?
Little squiggles, dots, and lines
Marching across the page, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g
Out by adding and subtracting,
Multiplying and dividing,
Just daring someone - namely me -
to figure them out.
Long the incomprehensible lines grow.
Sufficient only unto themselves,
They extract their roots and
Cube each other.
What if they suddenly decided to
Switch places on us
So that
1 x 1= 72
Who knows
What base they are working in?
Who has picked up an 8 and given it a squeeze
Hoping to separate the circles on top
of each other?
Has anyone considered the possibility of
Letters being male and
Numerals being female?
What would the children be like?
I suppose that
Instead of sitting here and procrastinating,
I should go do my algebra, which
is waiting for me to
Attack it as Napoleon did Russia.
And I suppose that I really shouldn't
disappoint it,
Or them,
Or whatever.
Say, how do you do this stuff, anyway?
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