PLATONIC SOLID POETRY advanced explanation

Think of it this way: the first stanza of any poem is the "length" of a shape's center to its vertex (edge), whereas the second stanza is the "length" of the shape's edge. For instance, take a 4-sided pyramid- also called a "tetrahedron".

Draw an imaginary line from the very middle of the pyramid to one of its points. It's the radius, so let's call that r. Now measure the length of one of the pyramid's edges, and let's call that e. After some calculations, we can derive the relationship between r and e. In the case of the tetrahedron, if r = 1, then e will always be .612. Since nobody likes a poem with .612 syllables in it, I had to find some other ways to express the same relationship. I got hit on the head and figured out that 30 divided by 49 also equals .612.  Great!

So to make a poem that captues the "essence" of a tetrahedron, put 30 syllables in the first stanza, and 49 in the second. Voila. Of course, one might argue about whether this process captures the "essence" of the shape. I decided yes for two reasons. First, when all the calculations were complete, each shape had a discreet ratio. The second and most persuasive issue follows:

The ratios I chose laid themselves out in 5s and 7s!  For instance, you'd think it would be a pickle to write an elegant stanza with 29 syllables in it (see Octahedron Stanza 1), until you realize that 29 can be broken into five lines of: 5,7,5,7,5!   The also seemingly akward 41 (Octahedron Stanza 2) unravels effortlessly across 7 lines: 5,7,5,7,5,7,5. These cascading sevens and fives were a jawdropping revelation and a total testament to the hidden beauties of mathematics and nature: this inner poetry was a signal to me of the validity of my process.

If you wanna get jiggy with other possible interpretations, you are obligated to share them with the rest of us. Email any concoctions here. Or click here to return to the main poetry page.
-WS 

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