Classes of Curves

“The straight line is simple and unique; the classes of curves are indefinitely many.” – Pierre de Fermat, Introduction aux Lieux Plans et Solides, translated by Joseph Seidlin

Mother’s hip, floodplain meander,
fountain fall, clock-face, Greek vase,
femur’s condyle, skull-socket rim,
cat claw, lathe-turned chair-shank spindle,

dune in desert light, wave breaking white,
white crescent beach or moon, comet path,
octopus arms, nautilus chambers,
water-worn stone, water-born pearl,

coil of a cobra, conch-trumpet spiral,
road over hill, rainbow over sea,
journey over waterscape, horizon shape,
wind-flared sail, dew-weighted strand of silk,

kite string curving up to a heart in flight,
every heart-string leading straight to God’s hand.

Books Available
The Day of My First Driving Lesson
Country Well-Known as an Old Nightmare's Stable
High-Voltage Lines
Knocking from Inside