Page 95 - The Irony Board
P. 95
Into the World
Baobab and bonsai
Of similar
Proportions
Are in
Proportion
Similar to
Africa and Japan.
The mirror symmetry of this epigram reflects two geometrical
relationships. The first is botanical congruence: both sorts of tree
have thick trunks and branches; their silhouettes, height disregarded,
are virtually identical. The second is scalar equivalence: the size ratio
of African tree to Japanese tree is the same as that of the respective
land masses themselves. This amusing coincidence occurred to
Gluckman only after having lived in both environments. The lines
are staggered to emphasize the word-shuffle.
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