Skip to main content

4. Cake Problem

Ah, this was written in the times when I first started learning and understanding fractions.

"Cake Problem"
December 2004
Olga Taratuta

I got a cake last Saturday
At least one- eighth I got
Then chopped the slice smaller,
Eight- eighth, that’s much! I thought

I didn’t eat it all at once
Instead, I saved it for later
Only a fool would gobble it up
Like a crazy alligator

My brother sneaked up on me
And ate one- eighth of the cake
Only had seven- eighth left
Leaving the cake on the table was a terrible mistake!

It was a hot and sunny day
And two pieces melted
Only had five- eighth left
But still I had to save it

Spike my dog ate a piece
Now what shall I do?
With only four pieces left
I’ll go hullabaloo

I couldn’t take it anymore
But I had to save it still
Some pigeons came to my cake
And ate a piece from the windowsill

With only three- eighth of the cake
I could just cry
A piece slid off my plate
Fell on the floor, goodbye


Only two pieces left
A piece grew some mold
And the last one got old

I had 0 pieces left

I was saving this cake for a year,
And now I admit
The fool is the one who saves it

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Pretend

We pretend that we'll live forever That tomorrow will bring something better We pretend we're not made of stars As we roam the streets and bars We pretend we'll never die That our kids won't ever cry Over the loss that is our end Every student, teacher, friend Everyone we've ever known Has a constellation they call home When the moon comes out at night I look to them to see the light To all those who did pretend That their story would never end But on some nights, breezy and clear I see the stars and they feel near I can grasp one and hold it in my hand As it takes me to another land We pretend this earth is all there is to see Yet the stars and crickets have spoken to me We pretend we'll never die Because we truly won't To someone's eye
Post a Comment
Read more

Miles Away

I refuse to sell my heart, not for twenty-five cents The auction is closed, ladies and gents I’ve already sold my eyes, when they caught sight of the streets So now everyone can see the beauty of my Italian retreat I sold my tongue for gelato, feeling so young Letting the wild berries dance around on my tongue I sold my feet when I traveled to see our Holy Mother in gold Like a saint on a mission, I’ll walk until I get old I sold my ears when I heard beautiful Aida open her lips Echoing through the theatre in which the ancients used to sit But I won’t sell my heart, it is still free For my heart belongs to God and not really to me My heart aches for home, too many miles away Yet for now I am here and I will live for today Yes, I sold my eyes to Italy; it’s all I can see How I wish you were here seeing these treasures with me I’ll try to buy back my sight, taste, and ears too So that I’ll be able to share these memories with you
Post a Comment
Read more

On the Origin of Love

So, I was researching something that I learned in literature class today (because that is what I like doing on Friday nights). We recently read the screenplay Hedwig and the Angry Inch and one song in particular really intrigued me- "The Origin of Love." What is the origin of love? Here is a summary of Hedwig's song, based on Aristophanes' mythological philosophy that is mentioned in Socrates' Symposium.  (Oh yay, story time!) Well, a long time ago, there were three sexes: the men (of the sun), the women (the earth) and the androgynous (the moon). Each sex had two heads and four legs, etc. and they were very powerful. The gods became angry with the strength of these sexes, so Zeus cut the people in half with lightning bolts. Therefore, it is now in our nature to seek  a sort of completion. Meaning, we have intrinsic desires for love and sex and finding "our other half" (as cheesy as it sounds, this is exactly what Aristophanes meant). Of course, this c...
Post a Comment
Read more