3:17 on 3/18 of 2019
it was hard for
him not to get caught up in numbersthey tickled him
his happy joke regarding them he admitted was
when he discovered what 36 – 24 – 36 meant his fascination and attraction and
abstraction multiplied significantlyexponentially an he learned what the figure meant before he
learned in school that the number-line also had negative-numbers
1 plus -1 equaled zero
1 plus -3 equaled -2
1 plus -3 equaled -2 equaled debt
equaled an obligationan indebtedness
possibly equaling I am in your debt
debt upset him
it as a leverage a cudgel
one could be owned if
they incurred excessive debt
the number-line was terrifying
so as a boy he decided to try to
remain to the right side of zero
an later reading Mario Puzos The Godfather he saw what an obligationwhat indebtedness
might entail
an inability to refuseto say No
he said No often
most often he said No to himself quietly honestly quizzing himself
if he needed it or wanted it
3:17, Monday,
18 3. 19
1149, Twoday,
19 3. 19