Natural Numbers
One is the instant,
part and parcel of the original.
Look, your open hand
contains all; close it,
and find infinity. God created
the natural numbers, patterns
within patterns within patterns,
shaping order. Look closely
and see wheels spinning
in sequence, drafting through
each other’s space and wind,
star matter, numbers
inside numbers, within others.
Two is the breathing, the in
and out, the pulsing, our tides
responding, a kiss, the moon’s demise
and rebirth. What rings truer
than not knowing? The cycle of
sunrise, noon and sunset gives us
Three, ever continuing, for who
defines beginnings? But what
of tomorrow? I have heard your
reply though no words were voiced,
following, as always, no matter the
result, the end. We are the
seasons. The continuum. The natural.
This is in response to a challenge issued by my friend Ron Evans, who asked me to produce a poem using three paragraphs from Dan Rockmore’s Stalking the Riemann Hypothesis: The Quest to Find the Hidden Law of Prime Natural Numbers. A few of the phrases were lifted verbatim from the selected paragraphs. This is just a draft, and the finished product may be quite different, but hey, it’s a beginning.
O at the Edges 
What a glorious creation with symmetry and asymmetry. What a beautiful poem that captures it all.
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Thank you. We take numbers for granted, but do they exist without us?
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As I expected to be, I am blown utterly and completely away! Well done, thou good and faithful poet!
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As always, you’re too kind Ron (except when you’re not). Ha! But it’s getting there. It needs to marinate for a while.
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And the poet? Must he not also stew in his own juices?! *g*
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I believe that I’ve fermented in mine.
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Good point! *g*
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We use numbers and words to communicate and among other things, understand the world around us. Why should the universe care whether we understand it or not?
So my response to your question is, no numbers would not exist without us because its a human invention.
In the same vein, there is no time either. It is another human measuring system to understand the universe and a way to organize our modern lives.
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I like to think that they exist, as much does, even without our intervention.
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I am sorry, I have to disagree, it is not possible. If some other species lived on planet earth, with the ability for another form of communication, they might invent something completely different, again for their understanding. May or may not have very little to do with reality.
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Lekha’s reasoning assumes the truth of itself and draws the expected conclusion. She would do well to read Rockmore’s book.
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I may have to order a copy. Just what I need – another book!
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Thank you Ron. Maybe, I should give the book a try. I have never heard of that author before. Then again, I am poor in math.
But I have heard about the close relationship between truth and prime number or something along those lines.
If I need help, I could probably write to you.
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I’ll be glad to help…if I can.
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Thank you Ron, I might take you up on that.
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Reblogged this on Mindfire Cantata.
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Thanks for reblogging!
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Truly lovely.
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Thank you.
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Thank you O. Keep writing I’ll be following it as it flows along
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You’re very welcome. And thank you for your interest.
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My human had to tell me what that is – Hop scotch? Must be from a time machine. You don’t even need 4 gig.
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Woof! You don’t even need a megabyte!
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I like your poem. It reminds me of one by R. Suleiman that I posted on my blog. To my ears, Natural Numbers has the same sweeping rhythms of the ocean and sense of timelessness.
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Thanks very much. I just read Suleiman’s poem – very nice. Strong.
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Great start. It’s an interesting direction.
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Thanks, Laine. We’ll see where it goes.
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I’m only reading once a week now, so I hope I don’t miss it ….
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I don’t know when I’ll return to it – it needs to rest a while.
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My thanks to Ron for the little prod which prompted this. Schoolmath was misery, only as an adult did I thankfully discover the beauty and magic of numbers. I look forward to watching this piece evolve like an elegant equarion, it’s quite lovely in it’s beginnings.
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As I mentioned earlier, the end result may look quite different. But now that I have a “hook” I can do something with it. I hope. Time will tell.
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There is usually lots of erasure on the blackboard before the equation comes out often looking quite different than it started.
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So true!
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‘Fermenting’… will it be wine or vinegar? 🙂
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Soy sauce, rice vinegar and maybe a touch of sake. 🙂
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…a dish or a poem 🙂
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A bathtub!
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This may be a draft, Robert, but it’s an excellent one that brought me right in and moving along with it.
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Thanks, George. I’m pleased that it still carried you along.
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well written and well framed
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Thanks very much!
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i like this one so much. your writing is really good as usual, i’m at loss of words! and you work best with simple concepts and stuffs you see day-to-day, really. although i have probably said that 2-3 times. i really admire you for that. good work!
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The simple is complex enough for me! And thank you for your kindness.
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Satisfyingly elemental. That is, more elementary than mental. Would help me to highlight the lifted verbatim.
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Thanks, Gary.
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