The First Irrational

 

In a way
I am

but in a more important way
I am not.

It is hard work 
to define infinity,

and the resulting definitions
have hidden complexities.

However, once
it’s done,

we’re free to think 
abstractly again.

What matters about x
is that it squares to two.

We would like to make sense
of the assertion 

that there is
an infinite decimal
 
whose square is 
two. 

To do this, 
we must understand 

what it means 
to multiply. 

From the abstract point of view,
we can deal with these questions

by forgetting about them.
We introduce 

a new symbol,
it squares to two. 

(Tricky but 
not impossible: 

we must 
once again 

set aside any 
Platonic instincts.)