Math Homework

2 + 2 = 4
Less + Less = more
Dog + cat = dat
Car + dat = flat

Finger + nose = snack
Math teacher, cut me some slack.

5 - 2 = 3
Me - sleep = zombie

3 × 9 = 27
10 × pie = I'm in heaven

9 > 8
Love > hate
12 < 13
Cake < ice cream

1 over 4 = 5 over 20
That shirt = not over my dead body
1 over 5 = 6 over 30
Kid over there = stinky and dirty

Always add up to 100%
Unless it is MY money spent

Me + the beach = time for some fun
Math homework = done


-B.C. Byron

Yes folks, even math can be turned into a poem. As I’ve posted before, the everyday things become a poem if you look real hard and get to know ’em. And math is an everyday joy for me. I’m an electrical engineer which provides me with the glorious opportunity to work with spreadsheets and programming projects chock full of calculations. For a while I was managing other engineers which took me away from this favored task, but I’m happy to say that I’ve moved back into a more technical role that requires all sorts of graphing, building equations, estimating power consumption, and other goodies. Now, you may think that my strong attraction to math stems from a super ability to understand it in ways that others can’t. Not even close, my friends. Math was always a struggle for me from gradeschool to college. I always enjoyed it but, believe it or not, I had to take one math class 3 times to pass it. I studied day and night in my calculus classes and still didn’t get an A. By the time I finished college I was tutoring math to others in my spare time and creating complex mathematical models at work. No, math does not come easy for me but it has been well worth the effort, and I still get a thrill out of solving a difficult problem or learning a new way to graph a mountain of data so others can make use of it. Finding joy in something does not always mean you are exceptional at it.

I hope you all have something that you both enjoy and find to be challenging. For many, it’s running or playing a sport, learning a new way to create art, singing or playing an instrument, or writing poetry. The hard work you put into it and the amount you struggle to master that skill will amplify the fun over time. Keep at it, whatever it is, and be prepared to learn from others and take criticism. Don’t hunt around forever trying to find something you’re “a natural” at. When I first started writing poetry just over 2 years ago, I found a successful children’s author who was kind enough to review some of my poems. He ripped them apart, finding faults in nearly every line, but I’m better for it and I’m grateful. We all need reviews from honest people that are more concerned with helping us improve than they are about our pride.