122219d

A couple of years ago, Mary Soon Lee published a wonderful book of elemental haiku. This reminded me that, about 20 years ago, I had participated in a crowd-sourced set of elemental haiku. I finally found it again, and here it is, for your chemical enjoyment:

https://web.archive.org/web/20050625075933/http://www.iscifistory.com:80/scifaku/elements/periodichaiku.asp

My father wrote the entry for uranium. I am pretty sure he is the one who told me about this project. 

And from Adele Gardner:

Putting things all in one place for my own benefit...

Here's the NPR listen... [2005 story about the original project]

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4696667

here's Mary's book

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/605873/elemental-haiku-by-mary-soon-lee/9781984856630/ 

073119

I knew there'd be tarantulas
in that box I stole
but nine!
how will I feed them?
the supply of little sisters
will soon be exhausted
and they're too small
for adults



Based on a news story on NPR this morning.

060217

Coon Cafe


Elise, you shoulda known better
raccoons aren't friendly beasts
they steal your trash
stay up all night
rip mussels apart w their bare hands
country folk know to keep
their distance from these warriors
next time you want a thrill
there's a porcupine cafe
just around the corner


Seriously, I understand why you were tempted to do a story on something so bizarre, but wasn't there something important to talk about? I don't know, how the earth is dying, the president is so far outside the norms that he is off the spectrum and onto a more sinister one, maybe 12 things you can do to help refugees around the world, or are we trying to make people forget their troubles? I guess that's a legitimate approach, but haven't we been doing that for generations? Is it helping?

Eat This, M. E.

I Like to Read

(A rap, or, perhaps, doggerel, based on a Morning Edition story)


I didn't read this book,
it's spelled kinda funny,
my kid read it though,
he paid a lot of money.
This poem is a book,
based on the radio,
Morning Edition:
“That ain't the way to go.”
A book about a poem 'bout a book is really fit,
at least it beats sitcoms & all that shit,
I like reality without no damn TV,
my kids are inside reading -- I'm riding ATVs,
when I roll over and end up in a cast,
lying on my backside, wearing out my ass,
they come to see me, they do their thing,
complete works of Shakespeare, that's what they bring.
This poem's pretty bad, the next one will be worse
(I never read a book about writing verse.)
Paperbacks are stacking up, crowding out the flowers,
if they get me hooked, I'll be reading them for hours.
So thanks, M.E., got my laugh for today,
and if you don't like it, just go away.


End of poem