"Perfect numbers like perfect men are very rare." Rene Descartes
Confession: I am a number nerd. When I realized that this prompt was for day 6, I immediately thought, "Perfect!" Six is the first "perfect" number. For those less mathematically inclined, that just means that if I take all the numbers that will divide evenly into 6 (1, 2, and 3) and add them together (1+2+3) the result is 6.
Now don't worry. I'm not going to ask you to write about math! Instead, let's explore the idea of "perfect". What does perfect mean to you? Are you a perfectionist? What does your perfect day look like?
Word Prompts:
- perfect
- perfection
- perfectionism
- imperfection
- imperfect
Shadow Poetry suggested form: Naani
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| Photo by Loud Images |
~ Amy McGrath is a poet, fiction writer, artist, and student of life. She is working toward a new career as a Creative Arts Therapist where she hopes to share with others the healing power of the creative process. You can read her poetry and see some of her art on her blog - Poetry, Prose, Art, and Creativity. When she's not writing or making art, you can find her reading, listening to a wide range of music (even singing karaoke sometimes), or spending time with her husband Patrick and her two sons.
I play with numbers in my poems sometimes: the number of lines, the number of words (I can't do syllables because I don't understand English syllables, they're different from my language).
ReplyDeleteYour introduction made me and up with a poem that's 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1 lines (inclusing the title). And made me wonder if I want to do a prime numbered poem one time :)
I know a poem you might like because it's perfectly nerdy, though not in numbers. I'll see if I can find the link and then post it as a comment.
Yes, here it is: http://ellipsiad.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/elementalism
ReplyDeleteThat is fabulous! I love poems written with unique constraints! Thank you for sharing it!
DeleteI didn't know there was such a thing as a perfect number and I love how the numbers that can divide evenly into six also add up to it. Of course math wasn't ever my favorite subject. :D
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why math came so easy to me. I always explain it as I saw order in it that attracted me because there was so much chaos in my mind. I am endlessly fascinated with numbers and number patterns. I suppose that's why I like working with poetic forms so much.
DeleteBy the way, to illustrate the significance of the Descartes quotation, the first four perfect numbers are 6, 28, 496, 8128. Not that you'll ever need this information... lol
DeleteAmy, I ended up going with a different prompt today. I just wasn't feeling the perfect, or perfectly imperfect. Although this is a moment that was perfectly crazy.
DeleteI very much appreciate those of you who take time to put together the daily posts and share prompts to get our creative juices flowing. I took the opportunity today to write "The Perfect Poem." :D
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