Poem
Tom Petsinis
Pascal’s tooth
Pascal’s tooth
Pascal’s tooth
Renounce mathematics. I vowed againTo set my faith on paradox, not proof –
Yet spirit could not numb a wisdom tooth
Tormenting me with exponential pain:
I relented, soothed by a circle’s roll.
Released from my crucifixion to bone
I embraced the horizon, heaven’s dome,
The cycloid of an inviolate soul.
For weeks I flew, forgetful of my sin,
Pursuing figures with ideal curves
To wonderful ends, strengthening my nerves
For the penitential line back to Him.
Renounce mathematics! I found the truth,
Exploring with my tongue the rotting root.
© 1998, Tom Petsinis
From: Naming the Number
Publisher: Penguin Books,
From: Naming the Number
Publisher: Penguin Books,
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Poems of Tom Petsinis
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Pascal’s tooth
Renounce mathematics. I vowed againTo set my faith on paradox, not proof –
Yet spirit could not numb a wisdom tooth
Tormenting me with exponential pain:
I relented, soothed by a circle’s roll.
Released from my crucifixion to bone
I embraced the horizon, heaven’s dome,
The cycloid of an inviolate soul.
For weeks I flew, forgetful of my sin,
Pursuing figures with ideal curves
To wonderful ends, strengthening my nerves
For the penitential line back to Him.
Renounce mathematics! I found the truth,
Exploring with my tongue the rotting root.
From: Naming the Number
Pascal’s tooth
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