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I am completely described by a wave function

so here I sit

the smallest working part

in the great machine

that is the universe

a watch

as some

would have you believe

without a watchmaker

 

    my pal Plato

    knew you could not boil water

    on a fire that was cooler

    than boiling point

 

    but my mate Darwin

    told me order could proceed

    out of chaos

    and his word was gospel

 

    until my buddy Einstein

    said that there had

    always been order

 

so here I sit

not telling God what to do

not putting cats in boxes

blissfully unaware

of the Copenhagen interpretation

 

until I wear out one day

and am thrown

into the fire which is God

 

the wicked fear the flames

but the good know that

the same furnace

burns away the pig iron

and

brings

forth

steel

 

that star

[the one just in your peripheral vision]

   might be me surfing on that fire

   the cosmic wave function

   observed by you as a mere spark

 

 

A contest entry

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Comments

1 - 23 of 23
  • ea silver member
    August 20, 2008
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    smart poem.


  • philcer
    August 6, 2008

    Edit | Reply

    Good-bye, Ego

    I think that, within the heart of every author/poet, a bit of ego exists that somehow convinces them that there works are truly great. Such, I suppose, was the case with me until I chanced upon some of your incredible work. You, without a doubt, are a poetic genius and I doff my hat to you and, in the process, send my ego packing.

    • Mairi bheag gold member
      August 7, 2008
      Edit | Reply

      ... and hello Ego!

      You are inflating mine. It's flattering to be called a genius, so thank you very much. I shall try not to be tempted to walk around with a lobster on a string, or anything like that.

      Joking aside, thank you very much for your generous assessment.


  • fantasysmurf
    August 2, 2008

    Edit | Reply

    Over my head - but I liked it

    I wish I knew about some of the things you described so I could appreciate it a little better. In my simple experience, I liked this. Good luck!


  • intanglio2ring
    August 2, 2008

    Edit | Reply

    Glad to catch your meteoric mind shower!

    You are such a sage of wisdom in our world of confusion and I aspire to surf the same waves someday.
    Wishing you all the best in the contest
    your barm-pot
    Tangle


  • deercatcher
    August 2, 2008
    Edit | Reply
    OK. so I drew a few breaths in this, but I still thinke the water covered me baldness a bit. And you just threw it together...
    Ask your jazz buddies if they know german trumpets have rotary valves...
    See if you can get cricket to sit under my canopy!

    • deercatcher
      August 2, 2008
      Edit | Reply
      "Burger" Baptiste, Huntley, and the Dr. play trumpet. I think i have seen the wave you are describing yourself with. sine wave, right?

      • Mairi bheag gold member
        August 2, 2008
        Edit | Reply
        Not precisely. I am trying to play around (in poetry) with the "Copenhagen Interpretation"; A key feature of quantum mechanics is that the state of every particle is described by a wavefunction, which is a mathematical representation used to calculate the probability for it to be found in a location, or state of motion. In effect, the act of measurement causes the calculated set of probabilities to "collapse" to the value defined by the measurement. Get it?

        • deercatcher
          August 2, 2008

          Edit | Reply
          Is that what the "Heisenburg compensators" in the transporter devices in the "Star Trek" series addressing? How do you dissassemble someone/thing to a molecular level and know where every particle is at a precise moment...

          • Mairi bheag gold member
            August 2, 2008
            Edit | Reply
            Precisely!

            When fans of Star Trek write to the producers to ask "How does the Heisenberg compensator work?", they usually get the reply "They work very well, thank you"!

    • Mairi bheag gold member
      August 2, 2008
      Edit | Reply
      Well, my friend at UNO is a brass-player (she has actually played in a Second Line), and she was totally ok with rotary-valved trumpets.

      This poem here is just a bit of fun with philosophical, scientific, and biblical concepts. Personally, I would love to shove Schrodinger in a box, and occasionally answer his muffled cries with: "I'm sorry, Mr Schrodinger, but there's only a 50:50 chance you're actually in there!"


  • Dark Otter
    August 1, 2008

    Edit | Reply

    Interesting!

    It deserves a few more reads. Once again, you prove the abiltiy to catch my eye with your work. Thanks Mairi, for once again bringing your tremendous skills into my contest. You and maa are two of the finest poetesses on AP. I hope that others can see what I've seen. The 'depth of thought' that you two bring to your phenomenal artistry. Mairi, thank you for your entry.

  • Ace - LightWithinMe
    August 1, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    Hello.

    This is a nice write, and I do like the references to quantum mechanics as well as other philosophical and scientific tips of the hat. I also like the reference to "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Book of Jonah. Isaiah 48:10, King James Holy Bible", very nice. Good luck in this contest.

    My regards.


    • Mairi bheag gold member
      August 1, 2008
      Edit | Reply
      Nice to find someone who appreciates the science AND the biblical reference.


  • Gold Hat
    August 1, 2008
    Edit | Reply
    I seem to find quirky poetry wherever I go today. I like the reference to Schrodinger's Cat.

  • Bad Bill
    August 1, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    A wickedly clever blend of science, philosophy and theology, but what, may I ask, is the Copenhagen interpretation?

    Pray tell,
    Bill


    • Mairi bheag gold member
      August 1, 2008
      Edit | Reply
      How long have you got? On second thoughts, you had better google it.


  • maa gold member
    August 1, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    I love the image of the watch without a watchmaker ...
    and the metaphor of being thrown into the fire of the Divine ...
    your verse is not a mere mental elaboration of philosophical concepts, but springs from a soul that has been subtilized, a spirit that knows itself, a heart that has surrendered to love ...

    to say anything more would be heresy ...

    much love,
    maa

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