Vicissitudes

“Vicissitudes” by Delia Dante

was a time
youthful calculus
plotted the changes
of infinitesimals
bent to the influent
arcs of trajectory
functional points
differentially aimed
at a future
some semblance of
personal
private success

was a time
before octadic bits
became bytes
of electrons
when slide-rules
were moved
by an analog mind
with derivative
notions of
how to conduce
a pragmatic
perfectible life

was a time
of naïve disposition
unwary that life
has its own
independent volition
it moves along
unforeseen paths
unexpected directions
unknown destinations
its integral quotients
converging in
arrant surprise

was a time
many miles many years
of organic mathematics
divide the incipient
dream from its destiny
tangent adventures
oblique with
vicissitudes exercised
muscles of character
standing a man
the boy never
could know

now is time
for brash inverse
of theorem
for certainty summed
by survival of scars
earned contentment
despite analytics
a fortune of memories
bittersweet beautiful
triumph of change
unpredicted by genius
yet nonetheless real