Introduction

Well here it is, a selected collection of my writing.


Some of the writing I am the most proud of is about mathematics and computer science. However, I am including only a few math articles here. Mathematics writing imposes a minimalist style. The more succinct, the better. This same principle applies in poetry. I find the two disciplines reinforce each other -- mathematics is the poetry of the mind, poetry the mathematics of the heart.

Most of the writing was inspired by life events. At first, I was surprised by the cathartic gift of expressing strong feelings in writing, better yet in rhyme. It seemed to give a certain relief, perspective, closure. I have now learned to look for the pen when moved and shaken. Writing, instead of an afterthought, has become a companion transforming both trauma and dreams into stories and rhyme. It lets me share and connect my private trauma with our common shared profound human journey.

Writing lets me relearn the constructive lessons of life’s tragedies and share my dreams. I wrote laughing and crying, I reread smiling and sighing -- and relearning life’s lessons. More than anything, writing has helped me tell my story.

There are four sections: Poetry, Stories, DNA, and Computer Science. I hope the poetry shakes you to the bone --- gets into your DNA. The stories are about a glorious childhood and the death of a longtime friend I knew since we were seven years old. In this section, I also revisit my alma mater after forty four years and describe giving a lecture on entrepreneurship.

The DNA section will be the introduction to a paper I hope will entice world-class mathematicians to codify the basic mechanism of the AIDS virus. The writing on a mathematical theory of the AIDS genome touches both mathematical and lyrical styles. The underlying genome DNA transcription mechanism is universal to all living creatures and has such mathematical regularity that it should seduce scientists and artists alike -- it embraces first soaring imaginative language and a tight rigorous mathematical description. With the DNA math, I hope it turns my dream into a scientific breakthrough dream come true that can change things for everyone. Included is just one paper about computer science, which I happen to be working on now -- isolation of computer viruses.

So here are poems and narration of my hopes, my dreams, and my story. Accompanied with my apology for the unstudied poetry and rough language is my acknowledgment of the haunting topics of cancer, death and, the most difficult topic of all, the death of my son Tim.


Writing these poems, stories, and science has helped me. I hope in some way it will do the same for you. Most of all, I hope it prompts you to tell your story.


Yours,
Thomas J McCabe