Book with Wings by Anselm Kiefer
‘The aim of science is to make difficult things understandable
in a simpler way; the aim of poetry is to state simple things
in an incomprehensible way. The two are incompatible.’*
I exist in the abstract vector (impure) space
between the mortal and the divine
within this night of broken glass
where there are no mutually exclusive states
in a profound paradox encapsulated
by a series of spectral lines
superluminal small heavens (within)
embodying the nature of light
restless remnant of a tattered whole
(oracle) of four dimension spacetime notation
carrying a universal wound of broken stories
in my native tongue, mathematics
imaginary world of leaden transformation
an enchanted map leading me on a path
between genius and madness
antimatter colliding in a book with wings
(space & time)/(momentum & energy)
coexisting potential alchemical matrices
uncertain relations in superposition
oscillating ash of solitude and union
*Paul Dirac
Chromapoetica 
ha. i like to think we poets find the magic that science has a hard time proving….smiles…night of broken glass—cool descriptor….the map on the line between genius and enchantent…love that as well…this has a furious pace and cool rhythm anna
Agree with the Miller here; good science does not discount its metaphysical roots, and could/might be poetic in its pieces of truth, when empirical facts still contain windows of poetic perceptions. I love /within this night of broken glass/ too, and add to that /superluminal small heavens (within)/ embodying the nature of light/ nice journey; thanks.
first – love the book with wings… it so illustrates how the magic of words makes us fly and takes us to where science never could… love the images anna…
between genius and madness
antimatter colliding in a book with wings….love this ..words make us fly.
“in a profound paradox encapsulated
by a series of spectral lines
superluminal small heavens (within)
embodying the nature of light
restless remnant of a tattered whole” gorgeous writing Anna!
Your narrator locates herself on the fulcrum of opposites, a site of impossible unions that are the both/and of my favorite liberalism. But your tone rises to Romanticism which was built on this impossibility, mad genius striving to be heard above its own sobs at being land bound. Perhaps solitude and union could steam together in a heated spring and continue to bring forth these amazing children?
Great power of poetry here. You manage to put incredibly complex thoughts into words and give it beauty.
imaginary world of leaden transformation
an enchanted map leading me on a path
between genius and madness
Realm of genius to madness is often difficult to unravel. Beautifully placed Anna! Great write and great thoughts!
Hank
Science is exploring with your eyes open, poetry is reliving with your heart open…? Some beautiful imagery here.
Very nice! I like this a lot! 🙂
good write and while I enjoy your art I wonder at this particular line: “the aim of poetry is to state simple things
in an incomprehensible way” I like to think good poetry should make the difficult in life more easily understood, revealing heart, emotions and truths, how else is the reader to really gain insight and benefit.
Hey Anna,
as ever our mutual interest excite me in the poetics 🙂
Paul Dirac is probably responsible for one of THE most beautiful ‘poems’ ever committed to paper i should say. His equation and its ‘meaning’ are so postmodernpoetic, not to mention genius (but you did, you had to, he was, is still) and of course the madness but then having walking . . . having crawled a little, along his Giant path, I do appreciate his loosening . . . multiplying infinities and the like are, well, taxing to say the least 😉
I love the quote: a conversation starter if ever there was. in fact I would go as far as to say that in a quest to iron out the oppositions in the statement one could qualify or at lest begin to make head way into an aesthetic theory or two and then some . . .
the picture, the art work and
“in a profound paradox encapsulated
by a series of spectral lines
superluminal small heavens (within)
embodying the nature of light
restless remnant of a tattered whole”
you cover my bases –
goodnight Mrs G and GB 🙂
I reread my comment and decided to re-enter it with an edit so it made more sense 🙂
sorry to clog your box (ooh matron! 🙂
Superb poem. I’d like to think that I also exist in the abstract vector, and I do enjoy balancing my science and artistic interests, which do often overlap.
LOL 😀 theres my aesthetic, right there; manic Benny Hill! great work anna! 🙂
Sigh…you have been reading my thoughts again. I am erecting an impenetrable fence:) Just joking …you write my mind much better than I do….carry on by all means:)
I think Poetry is about finding the divine light within that is pursued by the muse:) Thought provoking piece in your wonderful unique style.
interesting montage of words
Anna I’m totally sold on this.. the poem and then the citation create a wonderful synthesis. Your use of science lingo and making poetry out of understandable (?) physics is amazing. Very inspiring.
Have you ever read Aniara? — Unsure if it exist in translation but it’s a long poem by Harry Martinsson and it mixes in science lingo into a Science Fiction poetry saga. (it was also made into an opera)..
Poets, scientists, mathematicians all gather threads that (they hope) lead somewhere away from the backdrop of abstraction to a place of meaning–and they hardly ever succeed purely. I think you bring much of that duality to the fore here. I really enjoyed this. It’s going to get a re-read for sure. Nice work.
Re-read a few times through. Liked a lot, especially that first stanza:
“I exist in the abstract vector (impure) space
between the mortal and the divine
within this night of broken glass
where there are no mutually exclusive states…”
Beautiful capture.
Anna this is very well done – you’ve captured, and drawn clearly, the lines that appear to divide us. Poetic and scientific folk. And yet I think there is another plane where we do intersect, and live on the edge of the other’s realm. Well done! Very well done.
I’m not so sure that some scientists believe that the two are incompatible…
As the more science Knowsnow the greater the mysteries are exposed in a logical way that seems to me more as proof of the ‘ONE’ that IS more than anything else..
Of course that proof has been in poetry as long as recorded history exists nowKnow..
Science is finally catching up it seems…and as long as the running warm waters continue in my shower..I will certainly humble my poetic leanings..to escape goose bumps..if one wills….hehe..shiver..not me…