Oct/Nov 2004 • Poetry • Special Feature |
On paper
it is easy to outline objectives:
plot a five-point star whose sidesare the sum of a canary's heartbeat,
determine the frontier of set Swhen intersected by segment X;
if in doubt, consult an analyst.Years after, the rhubarb still
blocks the driveway. Familyheirlooms thrive in this manner.
The inflatable pool in the yardis holed with darts. Pregnancies
are mathematical problems wherecorrection pens bleed away,
transparent as chicken soup.On her eighth month, a mother
spends hours calculating randomovulation and math homeworks over
her belly. The pulse of summer:upstairs then down, unplanned children
screech like unstable atoms.