The Forgotten Priest Of 1783 Poem by Paula Glynn

The forgotten priest of 1783
Had done scientific experiments and predictions
That would result in scientific advances
British clergyman John Michell taking chances
Highlighting that black holes simply had to be,

Due to tests on light and gravity
But John Michell virtually accused of insanity
Or even scientific vanity
His theories so advanced
No other scientist to believe his work and take a chance.

The year 1724 in the village of Eakring in England
Greeting precious christened John Michell
A smart man who would set new standards
And give future scientists secrets to tell
Forgetting the people who said he'd go to hell,

The popular John spending over 20 years in Cambridge university
Going from studying there to teaching students Hebrew, Greek, arithmetic
To theology and geology to people that did care
Scientific facts and experiments to make people aware
Some religious people saying of the devil he must beware.

The paper on the mechanics of earthquakes
Accurate and proved correct and not a fake
John Michell with a new and modern take
On the geology of orbiting planet earth
John as a clergyman and scientist to be of worth,

Married twice: once to Sarah Williamson
A woman sadly dying, John to remarry
His new wife Ann Brecknock in 1773
John a man feeling positive and free
Knowing his science experiments and papers people believe,

John Michell did indeed construct experiments
And new theories he did successfully conceive
But his work seemingly lost in the sands of time
To be later revived by physicist Kip Thorne in 1994
Black Holes and Time Warps a book no one to ignore,

John Michell having believed light under gravity
Does offer calculating the density of stars
A theory that has dominated science
That has made science advance very far
John however not realizing gravity doesn't impact light speed,

But credit where it is rightfully due
With knowledge gained from many experiments
John did realize the existence of black holes real
His methods detecting via orbits of neighbouring stars
A method enhanced today with telescopic images,

John Michell living until 1793 at 68 years old
Has an important tale this poem has told
For John Michell had true genius: even when young
And he took science seriously: not for fun
He is a legend now remembered and theories used today.