Poetry for Pi

Wednesday mornings I meet with a fantastically wonderful group of people who love to read (and eat breakfast), led by the beautiful and charming Nate Loucks. At the moment we're reading Brian Mclaren's A Generous Orthodoxy.  Last week we discussed Chapter 9, "Why I Am Mystical/Poetic".  A week later, those ideas were still running loose inside.  So I put pen to paper and set them free.

"Poetry for Pi"
~ by April Milam

The mystic and the mathematician sat down for pi
To talk about logic and reason and why.

“The soul needs poetry”, the mystic insisted
“It’s math that’s madness, not me.
Mystery and wonder keep us sane.
Solving every puzzle would make me crazed.”

“You don’t appreciate logic and order”,
The mathematician insisted.
“Without it you have only chaos.
Tell me,
What good would your poetry do,
If 2 plus 2 equaled 2?”

Round and round in circles they went
Til the pi was all eaten and their arguments spent.
Then they paused for a moment,
Taking note of their place,
Both in the same room, same table, same space.

“Perhaps we can agree to disagree,”
The mathematician suggested.
“Perhaps we could even learn from each other,”
The mystic carefully ventured.

The head needs the heart,
The heart needs the head,
Two very different ideas,
Mystery and Order,
Logic and Faith,
There’s value in formula and flower.