O at the Edges

Musings on poetry, language, perception, numbers, food, and anything else that slips through the cracks.

Odi et amo (Zero)

Posted on December 9, 2015 by robert okaji

Odi et amo (zero)

How I fear what you contain.
Reaching through,

I find only more you,
but when I multiply your being,

the result limits me.
I add myself to your body and obtain

only myself. If nothing is something,
how, what, may I claim?

Your beginning and end, a line
become circle, become identity.

I enter, and entering, depart.

47 thoughts on “Odi et amo (Zero)”

KIA on December 9, 2015 at 9:22 am said:

Brilliant. What prompted the poem, if I may ask?

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- robert okaji on December 9, 2015 at 9:29 am said:
  
  Nothing! Or rather, zero. It has a fascinating history. I’ve written several poems on zero (some might say I’ve written a lot of nothing), one of which can be found on Clade Song.
  
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Megan on December 9, 2015 at 10:27 am said:

This one is going to mess with my head (in a good way) all day today. 🙂

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- robert okaji on December 9, 2015 at 10:43 am said:
  
  Ha! Glad to hear it. 🙂
  
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Daniel Schnee on December 9, 2015 at 10:29 am said:

“I enter, and entering, depart…”

I read, and reading, depart uplifted! 🙂

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- robert okaji on December 9, 2015 at 10:44 am said:
  
  Thanks, Daniel. You are too kind.
  
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  - Daniel Schnee on December 10, 2015 at 8:39 pm said:
    
    Hi.
    I have linked your blog to my latest post. People MUST get to know you. 🙂
    
    https://danielpaulschnee.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/new-layout-%E3%82%84%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F/
    
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  - robert okaji on December 10, 2015 at 9:22 pm said:
    
    Thank you, Daniel. Much appreciated!
    
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Adebiyi A.A •﹏• لقمن on December 9, 2015 at 12:16 pm said:

zero, circle, entering means departing. surreal!

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- robert okaji on December 9, 2015 at 12:23 pm said:
  
  Ah, perception!
  
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  - Adebiyi A.A •﹏• لقمن on December 9, 2015 at 12:37 pm said:
    
    yeah.
    
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Justice&Humanity on December 9, 2015 at 12:16 pm said:

Usually, when I read a poem I like, I go back to it at a later time to reread. This one I read three or four times in a row I loved it so much.

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- robert okaji on December 9, 2015 at 12:24 pm said:
  
  You’ve made my day. Thank you.
  
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Nurse Kelly on December 9, 2015 at 12:37 pm said:

You write some of the most masterfully creative words I’ve ever read! Always so incredibly unique!

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- robert okaji on December 9, 2015 at 12:44 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Kelly. Sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me. Sometimes it doesn’t. 🙂
  
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  - Nurse Kelly on December 9, 2015 at 12:45 pm said:
    
    Well when it gets the best of you, incredible things happen! 🙂
    
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  - robert okaji on December 9, 2015 at 1:01 pm said:
    
    Ha. Thank you.
    
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pixieannie on December 9, 2015 at 3:39 pm said:

Superb. It reminds me of a piece I wrote….often when we look for things, we find that what we were looking for, was within ourselves and not necessarily tangible.

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- robert okaji on December 10, 2015 at 6:01 am said:
  
  Yes! I seldom know what’s coming, and what arrives is often unexpected and extremely interesting. This is true in poetry and in life.
  
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  - pixieannie on December 10, 2015 at 7:54 am said:
    
    You are so like me. I just have to wait for it to arrive and then try to control the little monkeys so they don’t wreak havoc.
    
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Nadia on December 10, 2015 at 5:33 am said:

I love it! It’s like a poet’s Möbius strip.

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- robert okaji on December 10, 2015 at 6:02 am said:
  
  My mind seems to work that way, although I often manage to fall off the edges. 🙂
  
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  - Nadia on December 10, 2015 at 6:06 am said:
    
    Funny!! 🙂
    
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  - robert okaji on December 10, 2015 at 6:16 am said:
    
    I call it a mobius trip. Ha.
    
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linnetmoss on December 10, 2015 at 7:01 am said:

Nice allusion to Catullus there too 🙂 With a hint of erotic frustration!

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- robert okaji on December 10, 2015 at 12:42 pm said:
  
  The title can occasionally bear some of the heavy lifting!
  
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nananoyz on December 10, 2015 at 9:48 am said:

My math teacher self adores this as much as my poetry loving self does.

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- robert okaji on December 10, 2015 at 12:42 pm said:
  
  I’m so pleased that both selves like this!
  
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nananoyz on December 10, 2015 at 9:50 am said:

Reblogged this on Praying for Eyebrowz and commented:
So clever! If you love clever poetry, and who doesn’t? You will love Robertokaji.com

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- robert okaji on December 10, 2015 at 12:43 pm said:
  
  Thank you for reblogging!
  
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  - nananoyz on December 10, 2015 at 12:54 pm said:
    
    You’re welcome!
    
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Pleasant Street on December 10, 2015 at 4:18 pm said:

I don’t know all this means but I know how it feels

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- robert okaji on December 10, 2015 at 4:25 pm said:
  
  That’s all I can hope for.
  
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  - Pleasant Street on December 10, 2015 at 4:27 pm said:
    
    you have a remarkable mind- I’d like to step in and walk around
    
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  - robert okaji on December 10, 2015 at 4:33 pm said:
    
    I believe “cluttered” is more accurate. Or “messy.” But thank you. 🙂
    
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eurobrat on December 10, 2015 at 10:36 pm said:

Very nice! I was going to say “great wordplay,” but really, this is “great ideaplay”.

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- robert okaji on December 11, 2015 at 8:13 am said:
  
  There are those days when nothing excites me. 🙂
  
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  - eurobrat on December 11, 2015 at 9:59 pm said:
    
    Hope you won’t have too many of those days 🙂
    
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  - robert okaji on December 12, 2015 at 10:30 am said:
    
    Oh, no, especially since I consider nothing to be something. 🙂
    
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Salvatore Ala on December 13, 2015 at 10:19 am said:

I love this poem!

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- robert okaji on December 13, 2015 at 10:34 am said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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  - Salvatore Ala on December 13, 2015 at 11:27 am said:
    
    Best wishes. Sal.
    
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sheiladerosa on January 24, 2016 at 9:00 am said:

Very much taken with this poem. Thanks

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- robert okaji on January 24, 2016 at 9:13 am said:
  
  I’m so pleased to hear it. Thank you.
  
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Kunal Thakore on April 9, 2017 at 8:11 am said:

Love the thought & your expression

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- robert okaji on April 9, 2017 at 9:22 am said:
  
  Thank you. There’s nothing quite like nothing!
  
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  - Kunal Thakore on April 9, 2017 at 9:26 am said:
    
    Yes, but then zero is everything! 😉
    
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