Mathematics linked to Water

      I was captivated by the title -- "He's Not a Poet, But He Plays One" -- of a poem (found here) by Donald Illich -- and it led me to want to explore this poet's writing.  Sometimes he uses mathematics -- not in major thematic ways but in very interesting ways.  Below I offer a poem that illustrates my view.

       Water Mathematics       by Donald Illich

             During the ocean we timed our lake,
             calculated the river and the stream,

             modeled the pond under dangerous 
             situations.  Water was really math,

             the liters you counted on your fingers,
             the imaginary H2O that no one could

             see.  When you decided to drown,
             you figured out how much it would

             occupy you, and how much you
             infiltrated it.  Your body was mostly

             water, anyway, so the world didn't
             see much of a change, until you

             were pulled out by a helicopter,
             until everyone could see you decided

             to enter the equation, to balance
             your death with the sea's rush of life.

Illich's poem "D.C." appeared in this blog last April; here's a link.