xkcd #249 "chess photo" by Randall Munroe this Physics related comic acted as catalyst for this origin poem. the roller coaster poster
(the ups and downs of referencing a spatial displacement)
by steve waterman 11/17/11
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steve* and randall* went coasting | ||
experimenting before doing any toasting | ||
affixed to the bored, the physicists were glued | ||
sitting in back, wolde* and al* were screwed
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the castle went quiet after drawing its bridge | ||
the king was coasting, but just a smidge | ||
the bishop was horse from jumping upon | ||
galileo, his theory, his sun
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pieces in place, not frozen in time | ||
ride a wild ride, then stop on a dime | ||
while randall and steve had kept their place | ||
al and wolde had both been displaced
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this notion that motion had altered the board | ||
was noted by neither, just simply ignored | ||
wolde and al said it was a loss of their time | ||
their eyes were still dilating as they quoted a mime
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no need to say checkmate, no piece ever moved | ||
no king was de-flocked, left standing out nude | ||
al and his pal left the park with amusement | ||
while randall and steve both knew what confused meant
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these carnies were not croonies | ||
just sleigth-of-hand phonies | ||
like identical twins | ||
is where their shifty error begins
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a century comes, a century goes | ||
an error accepted and nobody knows | ||
the math at their source is wrong at the start | ||
given coordinates stay fixed when origins pull apart
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