Π
I got the tattoo because it is irrational. I got the tattoo because I used to hate maths. I got the tattoo because Pi reminds me of my late Grandfather. I got the tattoo because I want it to reflect how constant I can be. I got the tattoo because I studied Egyptology. I got the tattoo to remind me. I got the tattoo because every time I look at a clock or the full moon, I remember how Pi is interwoven with everything. I got the tattoo because Archimedes is one of my dead heroes. I got the tattoo because it doesn't end. I got the tattoo because it doesn't repeat. I got the tattoo instead of five trillion digits of decimal precision. I got the tattoo because Pi is so often truncated. I got the tattoo to celebrate independence. I got the tattoo because with it, I can measure the mass of a star from the other side of the galaxy. I got the tattoo to defy my Mother. I got the tattoo to carry Pi everywhere. I got the tattoo so I wouldn't forget. I got the tattoo to observe the patterns in everything. I got the tattoo because a world without Pi wouldn't work out. I got the tattoo as March 14th is my birthday, but everyone is always more excited about Pi Day. I got the tattoo because it means I am more than a fan, I let Pi control me. I got the tattoo because therapy seemed the greater evil. I got the tattoo because every birthday I have felt haunted by its presence; its slow burn in the rotation of the wheels of my first bike, in the circumference of my trampoline, it's dancing in the flame of every birthday cake candle.
*Dorothy Fryd has been published in magazines such as The Rialto, BRAND, South Bank Poetry Magazine and The Interpreter's House and was short-listed for the Bridport 2010 Poetry Prize. She has poetry forthcoming in Obsessed With Pipework and Aesthetica Magazine.