Algebra by Linda Pastan
I used to solve equations easily.
If train A left Sioux Falls
at nine o'clock, traveling
at a fixed rate,
I knew when it would meet train B.
Now I wonder if the trains will crash;
or else I picture naked limbs
through Pullman windows, each
a small vignette of longing.
And I knew X, or thought I did,
shuttled it back and forth
like a poor goat
across the equal sign.
X was the unknown on a motor bike,
those autumn days when leaves flew past
the color of pencil shavings.
Obedient as a genie, it gave me answers
to what I thought were questions.
Unsolved equations later, and winter now,
I know X better than I did.
His is the scarecrow's bitter mouth
sewn shut in cross-stitch;
the footprint of a weasel on snow.
X is the unknown assailant.
X marks the spot
towards which we speed like trains,
at a fixed rate.
"Algebra" is in Pastan's collection Carnival Evening: New and Selected Poems 1968-1998 ( W W Norton, 1998).
Thinking toward Thanksgiving Day tomorrow, I am grateful for --
in addition to my children and grandchildren who will gather --
all of the mathematic and poetic voices that help me see our world.
Happy Thanksgiving wishes for all who read here!
Happy Thanksgiving wishes for all who read here!
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