Rainbow Physics Poem by Ellen Kapusniak

View this rainbow,
Sun beating from behind
Arc opposing, rain mustering…
Light acting on droplets passing bows into eyes
Parallel ray drawn to water globule
Refracted
Reflected
Refracted again
Line of sight angled with incident light
Brightening
Circling antisolar point, earth breaking the whole…
Continuum of colours
Red to violet then beyond the visible

See internal reflections
Two - a doubled bow
Light within, little beyond…
Raindrops large in brilliant colour small in almost white
Between
The Dark Band
Inside
Supernumerary faintness
Physical
Each person’s eye seeing its own, no single distribution the same…
Know in science
This rainbow formed for your audience alone.