x obeys algebraic laws,
but resists particularity.
It’s the placeholder of uncertainty
like the notion of God.
A variable, a kiss, a chromosome, x signs
legal documents in two concise strokes.
It could be me, you, or the number of poppies
we planted out back by the fence last Sunday.
After so many days of rain, the afternoon
was sunlit, translucent. Perfect as an integer.
Mary Peelen
Quantum Heresies
X
Mary Peelen
what it means
The symbol x means something in math, but it also means many different things in the real world. Math is not distinct from God, nature, and love.
Abstract intellectual thought is not distinct from the real world.
You are my beloved.
why I like it
I believe it. There’s a certain authority to this voice (and if I knew how she created it, I’d be all over it) where I believe what she has to say about math and God. I also like how it moves from a philosophical discussion to basically a prayer of thanksgiving for a perfect day with the beloved.
about the book
Math as trustworthy parent. Math as infinite gorgeous support. What a delightful surprise for those who might fear math. In these poems, numbers come alive and math lets us see the beauty and devastation in the world, connects us to faith, and interweaves with all aspects of being human.
craft
Check out these line breaks:
It’s the placeholder
of uncertainty
like the notion of
God.
Every time the poem moves to a new line, I am surprised.
I’m intrigued by the “you.” I tend not to address some unknown you, but here the next few lines clearly establish the “you” as someone who shares a house and probably a life with the speaker. I’m going to try bring in a “you” late in a poem.
My review of her book Quantum Heresies is up onthe Adroit Journal.