If you cannot express your idea in the language of math-
ematics or code, you do not understand
your idea just yet. It’s just an ampersand
between priori and the treaded primrose path
of lightning keyed and bottled and what hath
God wrought in Morse and all the bright and grand
electric gauds that gild this promised land
forfending ruin and the old God’s wrath.
Mere words are not enough. You have to think
in algebra, in Python, calculus,
pure symbol, trigonometry—
number the idea of a post-work drink;
add up the operations of a satisfying cuss;
derive the pleasant shade of princely Xerxes’ tree.