Summing thin slices

This poem by recent (2008-2010) poet laureate Kay Ryan at first made me think of calculus, of integration, summing all the thin slices to find the area under a curve.  And then the poem moved me on. 

The Magic of Numbers -- Kenneth Koch

I first became acquainted with Kenneth Koch (1925-2002)  through his small and hugely valuable paperback of teaching strategies, Wishes, Lies, and Dreams:  Teaching Children to Write Poetry.  Later, searching for poems about trains, I stumbled upon  "One Train May Hide Another" -- which I return to again and again for its wise beauty.  Today I present, for our reflection, Koch's poem, "The Magic of Numbers."  Enjoy.