Number Theory

   Who can understand these things called

Numbers?

Little squiggles, dots, and lines

Marching across the page, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g

Out by adding and subtracting,

Multiplying and dividing,

Just daring someone - namely me -

to figure them out.

Long the incomprehensible lines grow.

Sufficient only unto themselves,

They extract their roots and

Cube each other.

What if they suddenly decided to

Switch places on us

So that

1 x 1= 72

Who knows

What base they are working in?

Who has picked up an 8 and given it a squeeze

Hoping to separate the circles on top

of each other?

Has anyone considered the possibility of

Letters being male and

Numerals being female?

What would the children be like?

I suppose that

Instead of sitting here and procrastinating,

I should go do my algebra, which

is waiting for me to

Attack it as Napoleon did Russia.

And I suppose that I really shouldn't

disappoint it,

Or them,

Or whatever.

Say, how do you do this stuff, anyway?