Meaning

Something I wrote waiting to find out whether I'd be allocated to my preferred research topic for my undergrad dissertation...partly inspired by the first academic to know how mad I am and not mind!

You're something like a magnet to my musing

Oddly, best kept secrets rolled from my tongue

Like the slightly-abstract phenomena you know

But that's what you do: semantics

And I derive meaning from my antics

So can I study meaning without structure?

Because I know chaos, and it is likely

You did argue that chaos can be structured

Even I'd say it's somewhat predictable

Meaning is why I'll stay in research

So send me not from your side, nothing to hide

Normality begs to be messed with, I find

So maybe we can be untouchably strange

Satisfied by lack of pointless social norms

By lack, I mean sort of blatant disregard

Will this be what I was looking for?

I don't believe in things I cannot yet see

But if the stars shine right, I'll be coming for thee

Reviews

[Rick Puetter]

Dear Magda,

I quite like this poem. There are some interesting lines, especially in the second stanza. Yes, chaos can have structure and usually does. The "chaos" comes from not knowing what will come next, not the lack of structure. A good example is the weather. We understand most of the physics, but we still can't predict the weather too much in advance. We just can't calculate the predictions of our equations because we have insufficient measurements and computer resources. Chaos is characterized by a simple physical system that depends on initial conditions in a very delicate manner. So uncertainty (error) propagates rapidly.

That said, the human elements of this poem are also excellent. And, Ah...the search for meaning. Unfortunately, research doesn't fill that need. It doesn't supply meaning, but it does supply perspective and insights into the nature of things. So continue on. I strongly endorse this approach to life. I would certainly say it is the most important aspect of my life.

And never believe in things you can't see. If you start doing that, every snake oil salesman in the world will profit off of your existence.

This was greatly enjoyed. High marks.

Best regards,

Rick