Shapely Lines: Poetry & Pattern

By Michael Carding

Michael Carding has not moved from being a mathematician to a poet; rather poetry has grown and been nurtured in the fertile bed of pattern.

From the music of Bach to the structure of DNA, from learning a new language to Gareth Southgate’s 3-5-2, pattern is the holy grail. Michael has used pattern as the key-stone to gather this eclectic collection into a coherent volume.

In mathematics, a line can be straight or curved, continuous or broken, finite or infinite. A line of poetry can stand on its own, develop an idea, change the direction of thought, reach a conclusion or invite our imaginations into the unknown. In fact, it can be straight or curved, continuous or broken, finite or infinite!

These poems start with birth, finish with death and visit a few places en route. Life Lines and Cross Lines betray a belief that life on earth is not the full extent of our line. In Longitude and Latitude Michael writes about places, how they affect him and what messages they hold for us all. He teases us with riddles and Converging Lines celebrate the juxtaposition of unlikely partners. Head Lines may already be obsolete yet Lineage & Heritage is proof that some material is never outdated.

Finally, there are Punch Lines. “Anyone who knows me will have predicted, with a resigned smile, that I will have snuck some humour between the covers!”

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Nov 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781728380193

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© 2018 Michael Carding. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Cover design Shapely Lines created by Ed Curtis-Sivess

Published by AuthorHouse  11/28/2018

ISBN: 978-1-7283-8018-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-8019-3 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ABOUT THE POET

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Michael Carding was born in Lincoln, brought up in Lancashire and studied mathematics at Durham and Warwick universities. He taught maths in comprehensive schools in Warwickshire, South Yorkshire and Cheshire where he was Head Teacher at Bishop Heber High School from 1986 to 2004. He was also a youth leader with PHAB (Physically Handicapped & Able Bodied) and believes strongly in the importance of wonder, enjoyment and relationships at the heart of true education.

The long and unpredictable journey from teacher to retirement has involved education consultancy, leading a Science Learning Centre, In-Service training for Chinese teachers and a unique residential project for schools. Learning on Location was an ambitious Key Stage 3 education adventure based at Butlins Holiday Resorts. Michael has worked with schools and young people for two Anglican Dioceses and had two spells teaching students and training teachers in Malaysia.

During these past fourteen years he has developed and extended his range of writing. The poetry in Shapely Lines reflects these changes in career and focus. He has not moved from being a mathematician to a poet; rather poetry has grown and been nurtured in the fertile bed of pattern.

His first collection, Ready to Order, was published by United Press in 2014 and he was featured with ten poems in Men of Words 2015. A Brief History in Rhyme was published as a tribute to Stephen Hawking by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications in Mathematics Today, June 2018.

Michael now lives in Shrewsbury, UK, with his wife Gill. He has two children and one grandson who has lately been the focus of another poetic genre! Michael is a committed Christian and an enthusiastic church bell ringer. You will find evidence of this in these pages, alongside his love of wild spaces, travel and adventure.

THANKS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This will start and end with family. Since I can remember I have