The Hum - edit

[dukealien]

The Hum


Suffusing everything, the tone of life
at sixty to the second vanishes
from our perception as it banishes
unwelcome heat and cold, turns night to light.

It pulses slightly slower overseas
at fifty, not American threescore
but both, when running far, proceed in threes
of helixes, not five or two or four.

That hum we hear (or don’t) if civilized
is Westinghouse’s unitary drone–
but silently delivered, three to one,
by Tesla’s triune vision realized.

original version;

Suffusing everything, the tone of life
at sixty to the second vanishes
from our perception as it banishes
unwelcome heat and cold, turns night to light.

It pulses slightly slower overseas
at fifty, not American threescore
but both, when running far, proceed in threes
of phases, never two or one or four.

That hum we hear (or don’t) if civilized
is Westinghouse’s unitary drone–
but silently delivered, three to one,
by Tesla’s triune vision realized.

[busker]

The Hum


Suffusing everything, the tone of life
at sixty to the second vanishes
from our perception as it banishes
unwelcome heat and cold, turns night to light.

It pulses slightly slower overseas
at fifty, not American threescore
but both, when running far, proceed in threes
of phases, never two or one or four. .... I think it'd be better not to make it obvious. With 'Tesla's triune vision' and 'overseas at fifty' / 'american threescore', 'Westinghouse's unitary drone' and other bits, it's clear what is being talked about, and the reader feels more clever if the poem is left as a(n albeit simple), riddle. The 'never one' is a bit problematic, since we have HVDC that is, in fact, used for extra long distances.

That hum we hear (or don’t) if civilized
is Westinghouse’s unitary drone–
but silently delivered, three to one,
by Tesla’s triune vision realized. ....there were many who had this vision at the time, not just Tesla...but is ok for a poem I suppose

Enjoyed it. We don't get enough poems of this kind.
drone' and other bits, it's clear what is being talked about, and the reader feels more clever if the poem is left as a(n albeit simple), riddle.

[dukealien]

edit;

Suffusing everything, the tone of life
at sixty to the second vanishes
from our perception as it banishes
unwelcome heat and cold, turns night to light.

It pulses slightly slower overseas
at fifty, not American threescore
but both, when running far, proceed in threes
of helixes, not five or two or four.

That hum we hear (or don’t) if civilized
is Westinghouse’s unitary drone–
but silently delivered, three to one,
by Tesla’s triune vision realized.

---

Good points, changes made accordingly.  I see from your use of green ink that you are a Tesla savant   .  As I understand it, Tesla's contribution was not so much multiphase itself but envisioning all the ancillary parts needed to make it a complete system... which he is supposed to have visualized, all at once, in a (no metaphor) dream.

It's single-phase we hear, though - flying in an airplane, which uses 400 cycles, it's almost a whine instead of a hum.  Does it feel different riding a Conrail train under 11kV 25-cycle catenary wire?

[busker]

Eccelente!
The subject is topical in Australia where we're seeing a tussle of sorts between wealthy farmers after more money, and transmission companies putting up more transmission lines over their land to carry power from distant solar and spread out wind farms.

At least we don't get the hissing and sizzling of pole mounted distribution transformers anymore. That wasn't a lot of fun.

[dukealien]

Eccelente!
The subject is topical in Australia where we're seeing a tussle of sorts between wealthy farmers after more money, and transmission companies putting up more transmission lines over their land to carry power from distant solar and spread out wind farms.

At least we don't get the hissing and sizzling of pole mounted distribution transformers anymore. That wasn't a lot of fun.

Digressing, but speaking of transformers... some years ago, on the property of a place I worked, parrots* built a gigantic colonial nest on and around a pair of transformers.  It finally caught fire, taking out transformers, power to our offices, and a number of parrots.  They may have liked the warmth; I doubt the hum attracted them, but who knows?  Presumably the fire was not caused by smoking in bed...

*Formerly inhabiting a large cage at a restaurant which went out of business and thoughtfully released them.  They formed an increasing and quite ornamental flock in the area; of course, some escaped the fire.  I wonder where they are now...