I must have been 11 or a bit older When I encountered Arithmophobia Numbers with letters didn't seem right And even though I was quite bright I just couldn't see the fun In letting x equal one Why not ten or two or three It wasn't as easy as a b c

What had caused my adverse reactions I missed the teaching of fractions To this day I can't tell you why You turn one upside down and multiply I searched to find a motivator To understand common denominator Can't do half of a third you see It's not as easy as A B C

They set a bar too high for me When it came to geometry Pythagoras' Hypotenuse was all Greek to me I wish I'd studied diligently Then it would be as easy as A B 3

Seeking help, feeling glum I sought help from my Mum She turned red, all in a lather — 'I can't do maths, ask your father' 'Why, it's no problem, son, Doing maths is lots of fun A plus B, both squared, you see Equals the square of C' It's as easy as 1 2 C

Volts and amps, ohm-my-god Left me feeling a stupid clod Was the teacher's repeated insistence Playing a part in my resistance What's Boyle's law? I was counting — Something to do with tea up a mountain 'Stupid boy, next you'll propose It's the Law of avocados'

Pythagoras, now I see Opened the door to trigonometry Jenny B, I could have helped her Understand SOHCAHTOA That doesn't rhyme, I hear you say — It does when you come from the West Countray What's the point of Trig, came my plea 'You can find the height of a tree'

Now my mind's much nimbler I've never had to measure timber Now way past 73 It's still not as easy as A B C