The Most Efficient Path
As I take my walk through the woods,
I see untold beauty unfolding before me,
But I peer closer for I want to really see,
Nature’s royal form wrapped in fractal cloaks,
Natural occurrences as in the leaves of oaks,
Complex patterns rising from simple rules,
Fractal recurrences of nodules,
Using a mathematician’s way to explain,
How nature is not so complex but plain,
There is so much simplicity, yet elegant math,
Because nature follows the most efficient path,
Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio have a say,
How beauty even exists in such a way,
With so many stimuli to overwhelm the mind,
I have to concentrate if the beautiful order I’ll find,
Branches, layers, spirals, are everywhere displayed,
Concrete examples that can be touched and weighed,
Pine cones with the Fibonacci spirals, feathers of owl,
Gathering specimens with camera as I continue to prowl,
Later to change the pictures into numerical models to test,
Analyze, and record patterns from this treasure chest,
Everything studied and written down as planned,
Like William Blake, “See the world in a grain of sand,”
Then once more I’ll be free to soar and see with eagle’s eye,
Chaos unchained and let my imagination fly.
27 Responses to “The Most Efficient Path”
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- - March 1, 2011




Nature is divine and unexplainable! Your words give nature beauty!
Thank you. I’d rather describe nature as a poet than a mathematician although everything has a perfect order. Thank you for your beautiful poems and comments.
Thanks again for stopping by. dan
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
I envy your scientific understanding of the complexities of nature and your ability to share it simply through poetry. I especially love the phrase…”elegant math”.
I’m always learning, usually very slowly. Nature and math have always fascinated me.
so much simplicity, elegant math- words that say so much of the great poems you write!
Thank you for your kind words. I try to have fun as I write and hope to hit my target.
Thanks for your encouraging words. They mean so much.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
I once took a botanical illustration course in which we described the patterns in nature. It was there that I first learned about Fabonicci numbers in nature and our bodies. I am still facinated by the mathmetics of nature. Your poem is a lovely reminder of the wonder of creation. Thanks for visiting me, too!
Fractals and chaos. Will they never merge? Thanks, Pat, for stopping by.
smart piece.
love the plants/flowers crafted in your entry.
well done.
Happy Potluck!
thanks for stopping by, Jingle.
Thanks, Ji, for the comments. The potluck is fun as usual. Thanks.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
Nature is infinite in its treasures it holds, if only we take the time to see them.
So much to see, so little time.
Seeing nature on many levels brings about infinite pleasure.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
Mathematics and numericals integrated into nature…very interesting method of approaching the beauty and majesty of nature. Witty, elegant piece – and congrats on bringing into the equation and still maintaining that sense of beauty!
Delving into the nature of the poem is just the right to do!
This poem has a wonderful viewpoint on nature.
I like this poem a lot
You have a natural talent…
I love this piece..
Thank you for stopping by. Maybe we can exchange visits often.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
Thanks for your visit. Looking forward to your next post.
The laws of nature captured in a verse, very good! Happy potluck
And thanks for your visit!
Wonderful nature poem and amazing science and math. Jingle must have been tickled. She is also a mathematician.
Happy potluck, Dan!
Throughout my years in education I was a strange one, teaching mathematics and English/literature. One district sent me to Oakland to hear Maya Angelou for an English conference and San Francisco the following week for a math conference. When I reported back for each one, my collegues were amazed and confused by my duality. But that’s another story or two.
May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back as the Lord blesses you throughout the day. Carpe diem!
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