Is Paper Vegetable Fit For Cooking? Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

'Six plus four is ten feet,
Divided by two is five feet,
I'm just above five feet,
And can just walk thro' it.'

So calculated a Math teacher,
About to cross a flooding river,
From the two foot-scales ashore,
Fixed at both sides of the river.

He not being a swimmer,
Breathed his last forever.
The average useless theory,
A few may know this story,

A book serves as a guide,
As it can't always provide,
For problems however little
An all time solution practical.

Can the paper drawn vegetable
Be served for the dining table?
Or will the wax made apple
Cause our tongue tickle?

A guide pole on the roadside,
Can direct which way to ride,
But it can't lead all the way,
To the destination far away.

A globe map in blue print,
Gives a dot picture to hint,
Or sketch out where we live
But will it show the place alive?

Should we not use our mind
For any apt solution to find
From the experience we gain,
That is stored in the brain?