Mathematician Sarah Glaz has recently published a lovely and varied collection of math-linked poetry -- choosing her title, "Ode to Numbers," to echo Pablo Neruda. That Neruda poem is one that Glaz and I have long-loved -- it is included in our anthology, Strange Attractors: Poems of Love and Mathematics (AK Peters/CRC Press, 2008).
In recent days I have much enjoyed reading -- and rereading -- the variety of poems included in Glaz's new collection Ode to Numbers (Antrim House, 2017). The publisher's author-page includes several sample poems and one of them, "A Woman in Love," offers this appropriate self-description:
I see a streak of mathematics
in almost everything.
Glaz's poetry takes a reader to childhood days in Romania, to mathematics conferences, to a variety of topics in the history of mathematics, and to the inner workings of a beautifully creative mathematical mind. One of my personal favorites among poetic forms is the pantoum -- I love the way that permuted repetition of phrases offers surprising new meanings -- and Glaz's collection offers several of these. Earlier in this blog (at this link) I posted "A Pantoum for the Power of Theorems" and below, with permission, I offer "Mathematical Modeling."
Mathematical Modeling by Sarah Glaz
Mathematical modeling may be viewed
As an organizing principle
That enables us to handle
A vast array of information
As an organizing principle
We could use the color spectrum
A vast array of information
Would become a rainbow in the sky
We could use the color spectrum
And the scaling notes spanning an octave
Would become a rainbow in the sky
Shining through the melody of rain
And the scaling notes spanning an octave
And letters gleaned from ancient alphabets
Shining through the melody of rain
Nature translated into words
And letters gleaned from ancient alphabets
That enable us to handle
Nature translated into words
May be viewed as mathematical modeling
"Mathematical Modeling" first appeared in the Winter 2013 issue of London Grip.
Thank you, Sarah, for these wonderful permutations of phrases and ideas.
Thank you, JoAnne, for the kind words and this lovely posting. It is much appreciated. Love, Sarah
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