By Janice Surlin
My previous poem about pancakes
Made me think again if I
Should choose another “food” subject—
What better choice for March than Pi!
March is an interesting month, to be sure—
Named for Mars (“Martius”), the Roman God of war,
Mythical ancestor of the Roman people,
The year’s first month in their calendar of yore;*
March is mentioned also in literary works,
In “Alice in Wonderland,” the unpredictable March Hare—
In Louisa May Alcott’s novel “Little Women,”
The March family was inspired by her own, we’re aware;
And how can we forget the ominous “Ides of March,”
The prophetic date in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”—
On the 15th Caesar’s demise was to him foretold,
But to his detriment the Imperator was not a believer!*
Now the Cat in the Hat, Horton,
Thing One and Thing Two
Are excited and honored
To join all of you
To celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday,
You see,
March 2 is their creator’s
Natal anniversary!
In memory of him
This math lesson they’ll teach—
They think that he’d like
Just how many they’ll reach;
Since Pi is the subject
They’re here to discuss—
They’ll do it real simply,
Without any fuss:
To measure a circle
This way has been found—
A circle’s circumference,
The whole way around,
Is merely the number
When you measure across . . .
The diameter times pi [3.14]
Is the answer of course!
“Oh the places we’ll go,”
Even NASA needs pi,
To investigate Mars
And study the sky—
Asteroids and planets,
All their moons and such,
Pi is super important
For everything, so much!
If all these words discussing Pi
Are not your cup of tea,
And if you’d like to satisfy
Your taste buds, stick with me:
March 14 also Albert Einstein’s natal day—
An event that certainly can’t go by
Without a way to celebrate this brilliant man,
And what better way than some tasty “Pie”!
The only connection to Einstein I have
Is being fond of his favorite fruit—
So let’s enjoy a piece of pie,
And strawberry is the one for which I’ll root!
Of course March is special for this reason too,
It’s the month spring begins and life starts to renew—
Flowers flourish and brightly embellish the Earth,
Many animals experience the miracle of birth;
For everyone I wish a glorious spring—
Filled with hope, inspiration, and every good thing!
*March became the third month, according to history,
somewhere around the date of 450 BCE.
**Imperator was one of his official titles, referring to his “absolute, dictatorial military power.”
