Mobia
Confound It!
From things to ideas -- there's this one that I still
Have some trouble in teasing it out --
It's easy to demonstrate, hard to explain.
And afterwords leaves little doubt --
That something's not right -- must be some sleight of hand.
You see it -- but still don't believe.
It's gotta be magic -- there's no other way
To explain it or try to conceive …
How something so simple can be so complex --
Yet right there -- you see in plain view --
A short strip of paper, with just a slight twist
Can be so confounding to you!
The ends are connected. A small piece of tape
Turns the strip into some kind of hoop.
Put it over your wrist, then draw just on one side,
Until you have finished the loop …
Now take out your arm and examine the strip --
You'll recall you touched only one side …
But both sides have lines on them -- How can that be?
You watched closely -- there's nothing to hide!
The one line you drew must have slipped off the edge --
But it didn't. It stayed right in its track.
Equidistant between the two edges, you see?
But it's there -- on both front and on back!
But wait! There's still more. We have only begun
To immerse ourselves down this black hole --
Take scissors and cut through the line that you drew
On the last snip you soon shall behold --
"Don't tell me!" you say, before making that snip
"You'll have two loops, each only half wide!"
The line thing, it threw you, but this one, you're sure,
You've pegged rightly -- you peg it with pride!
And snip! Sure enough. Looks like two loops to you.
(And it looks like it's two loops to me … )
You let one of them go -- you're now watching it fall
If it does, then we won't have to see
You scrape egg off your face -- don't start scraping just yet --
It looks like it's falling for sure!
Hello? What is this? It stopped its descent.
Oh my goodness! It is, as it were,
A single, thin, twice-as-large loop in your hand!
One loop with a couple of twists …
You frantic'ly draw a straight line on one side --
The other is blank -- you make fists.
Unclenching your hands you take scissors again,
And start cutting through this long thin line.
The essence of egg lingers -- holding your tongue --
No predictions this time you incline.
"The envelope please," or in this case just snip
Had you this time said two loops, you'd win --
With this caveat -- sep'rate -- but not -- one or both
Passes through or around or within!
Like two links in a chain -- that's two links with a twist!
At this point you look down at your watch --
Sudd'nly riddles have somehow just lost their appeal
And those Mobia strips dropped a notch!