Commutative Property Poem by Jim Yerman

I was taught the commutative property of addition back when I still counted on my fingers and my thumbs…which stated: no matter how we group our addends…it doesn't change the sum.

When I grew up I left the commutative property behind…
I didn't think it had much worth…until I heard someone say the other day…
One People
One Love
One Earth.

We may not all look alike and we may pray under different steeples
But when all is said and done we are still
One Earth
One Love
One People.

I hope the next time we pray to whatever God we pray to…
as we look up and search the sky above…
we pray that we remember we are:
One Earth
One People
One Love

And as we look backward and forward at a world that because of us is misbegotten…
let us pray we can remember the math we have long ago forgotten.

Math we were taught when we still counted on our fingers and our thumbs…
that no matter how we group our addends…
it does not change the sum..