EPICAMATICS

by Xavier Menezes

Math is a challenge, as hard as can be,

Numerical manacles from which, no getting free.
Try as you will, you cannot wiggle out Of the net that is math in which you are a trout.
They tell you its nothing, and can all be done,
But do it wrong and they glare with the heat of the sun.
They say that its all fun and easy;
Since they arent working, they can afford to be breezy.
You feel like a laborer, toiling on a field A worker heaving a stone that wont yield;
An ox struggling under the yolk of expectation Like intelligences a departing train and youre late to the station.
Get up, they tell you, Go on and be a man.
But no sum escapes the cruelty of their scan;
Down comes the pen with a damning red mark,
Your chances look bleak and the mistake has left its mark.
Like a sinner awaiting the final judgement,
A victim on whose destruction the correctors are hell-bent Youve nowhere to go and no place to hide,
And those evil correctors aint gonna let nothing slide.
Even if you get down on your knees, and beg -

The pain of failure feels like losing a leg.

All youll get is a dispassionate NO Which fills you with fear from head to toe.
And to go home again is a prospect, daunting Youre still raw from the merciless taunting,
The disappointment on everyones faces Is the exact opposite of all those anticipated praises.
Youre moaning, grieving and in despair;
Youve walked into the mathematical monsters lair,
And it has ripped you apart with algebraical claws,
You, the dimwit who violated its fundamental laws.
Youre so petrified you feel like you cant add two and two As if the entire planets weight is being dropped on you.
You are scarred and mentally injured for life,
And every mathematical mention digs into you like a knife.
Youve only one hope of escaping this hell;
Youre going to have to do math again, and do it well Until of your past failures, theres not a single mention,
Then you have truly achieved redemption.
So stand up, and shrug off the throbbing pain Youve nothing to lose, and the world to gain.
Get a handhold on the cliff of success,
And climb your way up out of this mess.
So you open your books again

Determined to erase this disgusting stain

From the fabric of your academics Its time to master all the nuances and tricks.
Clasp your fingers around your pen,
Take a deep breath to the count of ten,
Grab your geometrical compass and scale,
Lo and behold, redemptions ship has set sail!
You learn your sums again, with all your focus,
You let go of doubt and fear and all that hocus-pocus.
You strengthen your will and use your time,
Determined to undo this huge crime.
As the exams draw near, you better yourself,
You solve every sum in every book pulled from every shelf.
You leave no stone unturned in your fateful quest,
Youre determined to do your very best!
When the day of the math exam finally comes,
You close your eyes, and recall all the sums,
You did to pull yourself out of failures abyss,
You smile, full of confidence, and say I can do this!
And you truly do, writing and scribbling away,
Determined to get this stressful math out of your way,
You draw the angles and plot the graphs,
You square the numbers and clear the halves.
And as the announcement to stop writing rings out,

You wonder about the result of this final bout.

But youre confident, and hand in your paper with a smile,
Waiting to see whether it has paid to go the extra mile.
And as the results are handed out, your knees shake.
Your palms are sweaty as you finally take The fateful sheet into your hands.
And your eyes well up as your class bands Together, to applaud your splendid marks.
Your friends cheer, and the happy teacher barks,
Well done kid, in a proud voice,
And you realize that extra study was your best ever choice.
As it delivered unto you the golden results,
And made everyone take back the taunts and insults That you were attacked with when you failed.
But no one remembers that, and now you are praised and hailed.
And even in your happiness you wish you could,
Scream at math and tell it to fall at your feet as it should.
But then you realize that theres no need for your wrath For in your victory, you have even started loving math.

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