It's kind of weird that it doesn't. You could so easily change the "sixty-seven" to "twenty-five".

he used 97 words to say "I love you" 32.333 times, you're taking away 42, so he would also have to say "I love you" eighteen and a third times

But then, the poem will be 124 words (by changing "thirty two" to "eighteen"), so we will have to change 125 to 124. Then, he will be able to say "I love you" an exactly 18 times. So now we are 3 words shorter (by removing "and a third"). So it comes 121. With 121 words, he will be able to say "I love you" exactly 17 times. So, there you go. Change "one sixty seven" to "one twenty one", and "thirty two and a third times" to "seventeen times".

It's actually "thirty-two" which, by the rules established in the poem, counts as one word only. It works with 125 words by chance. The author missed an opportunity for a neat hack.

Where did he say 97 words to say I love you? I don't see that in the poem. Am I too dumb to see what is happening!???

> so I slowly whisper I love you > thirty-two and a third times.

"I love you" is 3 words. 3 * 32.333333 = 97

Don't ever let a poet see this comment.

> Don't ever let a poet see this comment

Why?

My guess is that sixty-seven has four syllables, twenty-five has three.

In the first verse, there doesn't seem to be any pattern to the lengths (in syllables) of the lines; 10, 7, 8, 8, 12, 8. I'm not sure the meter would really be damaged that much by reducing the last line by one syllable.

Sixty-seven has a completely different feeling than twenty-five.

It's likely less about meter than flow.

they don't sound the same.

the passage has 125 words using `wc -w`.

At first I didnt understand why either, but looking at poem more and thinking about if I were writing it; I think he did it so he could use the "Thirty two and a third" line. It's much more dramatic and stimulating ("...I love you, I...") than just saying "twenty-five times".

Edit: Oops, I think I screwed up my math. It would be 22 times.

Edit: misquoted! worked in a record store too long. :)

EDIT: Nevermind, I shouldn't comment late at night. Keeping the comment intact in case someone is currently responding, so context is preserved.

EDIT2: It would work with the actual number of words in the poem (125) though, he would have to say "Eighteen and a third times". 59+11+18*3+1 = 125

OLD COMMENT: What do you mean? "Thirty-two and a third times" means exactly that, and not 22. He used 59 words that day, plus the eleven for the first part of the call, plus 32 times 3 ("I love you"), plus a third of "I love you", which is just one word. Makes 167.

Maybe the author already used the other 42 words for the day.

Perhaps the author's a fan of Douglas Adams then?

The poet saved 42 words for later.