错误的日历 A Calendar of Errors

作者：陈国雄

A Calendar of Errors

If I invented theGregorian calendar

I would not make it

out of my writing club alive

A club so precise

only exacting words will suffice

“You know your 9th monthSeptember

comes from the Latin word septem

which means 7”

Dennis a leader of thewriting club

would continue to correct me

“If you use Latin numbers

septem 7, octo 8, novem 9, decem 10

You should at least putthem

in the correct order on your calendar”

Mike another elder of thewriting club

would second what Dennis just said

A historian onAppalachian history

Mike educates me

on Roman history as well

Romans named July afterJulius Caesar

Romans named August

after Augustus Cesar

Romans also named Juneafter Juno

A Roman queen god

of marriage and weddings

Planning a June weddinganyone?

Janus is the Roman god

of beginning and end

therefore the first month is January

Februum was a Romanpurification ritual

for spring which became February

March came from Mars

the Roman god of war

A double meaning

as we march to war

The Latin word aprilisbecame April

a Latin reference

to the opening of flowers and trees

Maia the Roman earthgoddess

of growing plants

became the fifth month May

All that historicalmeaning is lost now

As some name theirdaughter July

not realizing Julius Cesar

hiding in disguise

We seldom name anyoneAugust

which is a good thing

keeping Augustus Cesar in history dust

But not respecting ournumbers

has damaged us mentally in many ways

When we can say decem is12 and not 10

octo is 10 and not 8

or septem is 9 and not 7

We confuse our children

and our presidents too

That metric is not worthlearning

as we inch our way to burning

our nation’s math and science goals

Why believe in numberswhen our calendar

makes fun of it almost every month

If we want to stop ourbackward slide

in aero science

and all things mathematically correct

We should respect numbersmore

and put them on the right path

so airplanes do not crash

When numbers are used outof order

airplanes do not fly and people die

What does Pope Gregory

know about calendars in 1592

Some are still asking

why the Pope lost 8 years

in his calendar invention

The Pope knew how tocontrol his flock

around a catholic calendar clock

For 170 years Englandignored

the Gregorian calendar

used by Catholics in Europe

In 1752 England’scalendar protest faded

and began using the pope’s calendar

ever since

Must the new quantumworld

continue using a medieval calendar

Let us be more exacting

as we aim to count photons

traveling at the speed of light

Jesus used the Hebrewcalendar

Julius used his own Juliancalendar

Islam use the Hijricalendar

There is a Buddhistcalendar

Several Japanesecalendars

Chinese and Ethiopiancalendars

There is no shortage

of different calendars

A more exacting timepiece

is what we need today

To reflect our newfoundknowledge

of quantum, photon and boron

A new quantum calendar

Or a new photon calendar

Or a speed of lightcalendar

Yes, a speed of lightcalendar

will shake things up

And take young ones toother galaxies

traveling at the speed of light

A new photon calendar

will help inter galaxy travelers

get to another galaxy on time

and not be late for dinner