do math no harm.

I will do math no harm.
Though I may hate it,
sometimes. Not always, but
sometimes - I may and do. But
I will do math no harm. Though
I could easily crush countless numbers
under the grinding wheels of language, art,
repurpose numerals as mere design elements,
deconstruct their meaning and what they symbolize,
with their minus dash, plus cross, division slash
(or bar and dots) and that damn X or asterisk
that means to multiply, I must simply

be the bigger man than that. I will let math
lie. I will let it play out.

I will let math roll on, proud,
unbowed, implacable as always

as if universes were built
upon it.