Even now I'm sometimes criticized for using "bad math"-unrealistic statistics-in the poem I'm most known for, "Good Bones." In that poem I wrote, "The world is at least fifty percent terrible" and "For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird." For the record, I realize there aren't an equal number of birds and rocks on this planet. I'm well aware that though the world often feels "at least half terrible," it's not a provable percentage.
I'm a poet, not a mathematician. But each time "Good Bones" goes viral, typically after a tragedy, the literalists make their presence known in the comments: "You need to take a math class! These ratios are impossible!"
After the song "Yesterday" was released, did anyone complain to Paul McCartney, "You're not half the man you used to be! That's impossible! You're still a whole person!" I doubt it. Still, feeling less than whole-particularly in one's grief-is a pervasive metaphor.
この記事は Time の November 20, 2023 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は Time の November 20, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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