Chemistry 101 And The Resultant Daydreams Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

the truth in precipitate out of any solution I have long sought

or a pink titration or an amethyst one

or the mortar and pestle of the sun

a fairy tale meditation upon

the endless radical perfection of the periodic table

pulled down suddenly on a Wednesday a fantastical

visual aid that changed my life that day.

all that I was able to absorb in Chemistry class I did

as it became crystalline, latticed, with the electrons whirling

around a center of pearl it was to me that dazzling and allusive

though I couldn't balance the equations or be trusted with the


Bunsen burner or so I was told. who cares,


let mold GROW on the Petri dish.


it's all alchemy I thought;


everything's turning to gold.


mary angela douglas 24 may 2020