Plasticene falling through wallpaper paste

Day 15: write a poem about something you have absolutely no interest in, and investigate some of the “why” behind resolutely not giving two hoots about something.


I simply don't get physics, 
The how of the universe just passes me by. 
I've tried to listen to the soft earnest tones
Of the delectable Professor
As he tries to explain in layman's terms
How the universe works, how we got where we are. 
My record stands at twenty minutes 
Before brain fog swept in.  

At school I enjoyed the hands on-ness of science:
Didn't flinch at dissections,
Caused casual explosions in test tubes, 
But physics was a step or two too far. 
I was fine with fashioning Plasticene 
Into a miscellany of shapes
To send them falling down cylinders of paste -
Spoiler alert: torpedoes won. 
It even made sense recording the speed of echoes
Bouncing off the school's red brick wall. 
But however hard Mr Twizell tried to explain
I could never believe the laboratory bench
Was in motion, every molecule vibrating.
I could see it was solid; end of. 

So I'm prepared to accept the things they believe
If it helps them understand the how and the why, 
If it leads to inventions that make our life better.
But don't try to help me understand.
I'll happily accept it as magic. 

© Copyright 2022. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved.

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