xkcd #249 "chess photo"
by Randall Munroe

this Physics related comic
acted as catalyst for this origin poem.


the roller coaster poster
(the ups and downs of referencing a spatial displacement)
by steve waterman 11/17/11




steve* and randall* went coasting
experimenting before doing any toasting
affixed to the bored, the physicists were glued

sitting in back, wolde* and al* were screwed

 

the castle went quiet after drawing its bridge
the king was coasting, but just a smidge
the bishop was horse from jumping upon

galileo, his theory, his sun

 

pieces in place, not frozen in time
ride a wild ride, then stop on a dime
while randall and steve had kept their place

al and wolde had both been displaced

 

this notion that motion had altered the board
was noted by neither, just simply ignored
wolde and al said it was a loss of their time

their eyes were still dilating as they quoted a mime

 

no need to say checkmate, no piece ever moved
no king was de-flocked, left standing out nude
al and his pal left the park with amusement

while randall and steve both knew what confused meant

 

these carnies were not croonies
just sleigth-of-hand phonies
like identical twins

is where their shifty error begins

 

a century comes, a century goes
an error accepted and nobody knows
the math at their source is wrong at the start

given coordinates stay fixed when origins pull apart

 

 
* steve waterman      * randall munroe      * woldemar voigt      * albert einstein


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