A Precarious Situation
By luigi_pagano
- 1263 reads
Because I'm eighty-eight
they call me an old geezer
but I'm not as ancient
as the Tower of Pisa.
It is 762 years, 8 months
and 8 days older than me;
its foundations were laid
on August the ninth 1173.
Though well-intentioned,
the builder was misguided
and therefore the tower
went up lopsided.
We have a lot in common:
as it can clearly be seen
I am no longer vertical,
I have a tendency to lean.
Like the Torre Pendente
(that no one can climb)
I could easily topple
at any given time.
For both of us it is
a precarious situation
but we must be hopeful
for our recuperation.
© Luigi Pagano 2023
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Comments
I've been there. I tilted my
I've been there. I tilted my camera by a few degrees before pessing the shutter release button. Oh the confusion it caused amongst people looking at my holiday photos. Amused, I did similar in Paris and Blackpool.
Please don't topple Luigi. I'd miss reading clever little poems like this one.
Turlough
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Hear hear - long may you lean
Hear hear - long may you lean Luigi!
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I am glad you have a bent for
I am glad you have a bent for writing fun clever poems Luigi :0) Hope you have a lovely holiday!
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"Because I'm eighty-eight
"Because I'm eighty-eight
they call me an old geezer
but I'm not as ancient
as the Tower of Pisa..."
What a wonderful, opening stanza Luigi. Adroitly done with your customary humour and talent for poetry. Enjoy Bath (a truly stunning city). Keep well. Paul
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Hi Luigi,
Hi Luigi,
you put this poem together brilliantly. I really hope I live as long as you and can keep my writing going.
Hope you have a special time in Bath too.
Jenny. xx
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The Tower
The Tower of Pisa is amazing yes and you say it is in balance and can topple at any time. The story has it Galileo did his famous experiment there to demonstrate a heavy ball and a light one falls with the same (gravital) acceleration. Do you perhaps know the exact angle of tilt?
Your snapshot ideas sound very entertaining Luigi!
Cheers! Tom
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When the centre of mass goes
When the centre of mass goes over the base of the leaning tower it should fall. We have to consider the tower as rigid. Obviously the centre of mass lies along the tower's symmetry-axis. Its height is to be found and length of the base. So past that it should topple, these of course estimates. Already we have the current measured angle, you say 3.99o and applying some very simple trigonometry we may calculate the "toppling angle"
If the tower once leaned past that, 4o it had to fall I can't see it gong more upright again when it leans over. There is a problem here, Google or no Google. And in fact the weight also has little to do with it.
Cheers! First lesson free! Mr Brown
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Sorry about that
Sorry about that I get carried away sometimes.
Have a good day! Tom
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