01-21-2018, 06:10 AM
Constitution
On a shelf
in my workroom
stand three shapes
composed of sticks
and cords that tie
their ends together.
Some see polygons
without faces—
triangles described by
stick- and cord-ends
in the mind, not
light or matter—
with their relative positions
set by tension and compression,
by the saw and scissors which
with forethought mathematics
cut their length.
Then hands had to make
connections, after which each figure
stood strong in its interplay
of strains and stresses,
stable in configuration
as stars in a constellation
or the union of a flag.
On a shelf
in my workroom
stand three shapes
composed of sticks
and cords that tie
their ends together.
Some see polygons
without faces—
triangles described by
stick- and cord-ends
in the mind, not
light or matter—
with their relative positions
set by tension and compression,
by the saw and scissors which
with forethought mathematics
cut their length.
Then hands had to make
connections, after which each figure
stood strong in its interplay
of strains and stresses,
stable in configuration
as stars in a constellation
or the union of a flag.
Non-practicing atheist