Poem: Mathematics Sets Sail

Science in meter and verse

Cornelia Li

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

Edited by Dava Sobel

As though time could have a hobby
we speak in eigenvalues, the harmonious
oscillations in the green flash before sunset.

We interpret raised to the power to mean
you were taken in by numbers
as a young babe & your childhood


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


can be classified irrational. Euclid,
Euler, the empty set's a nest atop a piling.
If two words diverge on the open seas &

the dot product is without derivative, the intercept
can be found only by Venn diagrams on the tongue.
Swallowed by wave functions, turning back, theorems

to explain the circumference of illusion, good heavens,
the sailboat's isosceles never goes slack.

Jennifer Gresham is a Ph.D. scientist, a U.S. Air Force veteran and founder of Work for Humanity. She lives in Seattle.

More by Jennifer Gresham
Scientific American Magazine Vol 322 Issue 2This article was published with the title “Mathematical Glossolalia” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 322 No. 2 (), p. 26
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0220-26

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe