Poems with a scientific bent

 

This month I'm focusing on poems with a scientific bent. I found a poem by David Hathwell, "Hidden Force Observed" (2015) that employs scientific themes.

 

Here's a poem written by a poem by a poet who is new to me, Charlotte Turner Smith, but its written much earlier(poets.org).

 Sonnet XLIV ("Sonnet Written in The Church Yard at Middleton in Sussex")

Press’d by the Moon, mute arbitress of tides,
    While the loud equinox its pow’r combines,
    The sea no more its swelling surge confines,
But o’er the shrinking land sublimely rides.
The wild blasts, rising from the Western cave,
    Drives the huge billows from their heaving bed;
    Tears from their grassy tombs the village dead,
And breaks the silent sabbath of the grave!
With shells and seaweed mingled, on the shore,
    Lo! their bones whiten in the frequent wave;
    But vain to them the winds and waters rave;
They hear the warring elements no more:
While I am doom’d—by life’s long storm opprest,
To gaze with envy, on their gloomy rest.

 

I love the phrase "mute arbitress of tides" and "silent sabbath."

The surprise in the end is that the speaker/narrator is envious of the dead. 

Charlotte Turner Smith was a poet and novelist of the Romantic age. 

Snakes survived by going underground

Snakes widely diversified after the Chicxulub crater event that ended the dinosaurs reign. An interesting study shows that the extinction event allowed snakes to diversify, innovate, and thrive. Findings are reported in Nature Communications.

Snakes survived even though all other reptiles perished by moving underground. Their survival which researchers call "creative destruction" was the direct result of the destruction of other life forms. 

Klein, C.G., Pisani, D., Field, D.J. et al. Evolution and dispersal of snakes across the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction. Nat Commun 12, 5335 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25136-y

How one animal survived the asteroid that killed dinosaurs (inverse.com)

9/11

Photo by Lars Mulder from Pexels
 

Here's what I remember. The day seemed ordinary. I was working in a library--a different one than the one I work at now.

Earlier that morning I heard about a plane hitting one of the towers. No one knew it was terrorism at that time. 

I think by the time I got to work the 2nd tower had been hit. Newscasters were already theorizing terrorism.

Then, at the library, someone had a TV going in the off desk area. This was before web streaming became common place and before smart phones.

The TV was only turned on at the library when important or tragic events were happening. For instance it was on when the Columbine shooting happened.

The towers started falling. 

I had to prepare the desk because we were opening soon. Suddenly, a colleague started crying. He and his fiancee had just been on a trip to see the twin towers in New York scarcely a week ago.

"We were just there," he said, but I knew he wasn't talking only about the place. He was thinking of the senseless deaths, the lives cut short.

 

That colleague, who was also a friend, has passed away now. His marriage didn't work from what I heard.

His was the first honest reaction. Every one else was trying to maintain professional distance I think.

They were in shock but the reality had not settled in. They were still pretending, not letting their guard down, even me. In a library or any job, you have to keep going, provide service, no matter what. This is the mantra of service type jobs. 

That is probably what the stewardesses on the plane did, the captain and the crew. 

Daisy Jones & The Six

 

Daisy is that girl for whom everything comes easily. She has natural beauty, vibrant vocals, and a gift for song writing. Even with all this going for her, she self-destructs in the usual way–drugs and alcohol.

Billy who strives to stay on the straight and narrow calls her dangerous and an “impossible woman.” Even if that is the case, he needs her to take the Six to the next level. His song writing is too romantic. Her songs have a grittier edge that balance out his.

While the story appears to be a typical one, Reid has a way of telling it, as a transcript of a documentary, that is remarkable.

Characters often argue with each other or remember events differently. People blame each other and use one another.

Worst of all, people write songs about the other resulting in hurt feelings. For instance, Daisy writes “Regret Me” about Billy.

While Billy and Daisy croon about the dangers of falling in love, they face similar temptations. Reid’s characters are complex and flawed but easy to relate to.

If you liked reading Daisy Jones and the Six, you may also like the true account Girl in a Band about Sonic Youth or works of fiction about rock bands and music from the 70s.

Blau, Jessica Anya. Mary Jane.

Doan, Amy Mason. Lady Sunshine.

Egan, Jennifer. A Visit From the Goon Squad.

Gabel, Aja. The Ensemble.

Mitchell, David. Utopia Avenue.

Moore, Scotto. Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You.

Sloan, Elissa R. The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes.

Straub, Emma. Modern Lovers.

Daisy Jones and the Six has been adapted as a mini-series for Amazon. If readers are wondering what the songs sound like, they will get to hear the original music in the mini-series (13 episodes).

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

 

Even if you’ve read this classic novel of mystery and suspense before, by re-reading it you will find new facets and nuances to admire. 

Ten people come to an island for different purposes but find themselves fighting for their lives. Among them is a murderer who wants his or her own type of justice. After each death, the adversary meticulously removes a porcelain figure from the dining room table.

A gramophone recording relates that each of these guests have committed an unpardonable sin and have been as of yet beyond the reaches of law. One of them has invited them all here, produced the recording, and eliminating them but who could it be? 

Could it be the young reckless Marston, the well-respected doctor, or the elderly Emily Brent? Could it be General McArthur, the reptilian judge Wargrave, the prim Vera Claythorne, or the callous Philip Lombard? 

This one of Christie's darkest and most intricate mystery. 

Nightbirde

I

ts no often that I'm moved by anyone on AGT; all of the reactions seem so rehearsed. There is something genuine, however, about the singer who calls herself Nightbirde that cannot be ignored. 

The song is called "It's okay," which is perfect for this particular time--when many people do not feel ok .This is a song that asks everyone to accept their situation, whatever it may be.  

She sings with a pleasant, echoing vibrato. For me, its not the performance or the vocals but the actual lyrics that stand out most. For example, she sings, "said I knew myself but I guess I lied."

The Big Door Prize by M.O. Walsh

 

In a novel that's sweetness served up with a side of realism, Walsh explores a small town's inhabitants desire to live the best version of themselves. When a simply plywood cubicle with the word DNAMIX shows up at Johnson's grocery story, it causes the good people of Deerfield to behave in outlandish ways.

The machine, which does a quick DNA scan, determines if an individual has lived up to his or her potential. Ordinary townspeople suddenly decide they are meant to be puppeteers, Olympic champions, magicians, or members of royalty.

The townspeople's gullibility infuriates Douglas Hubbard who feels the machine spits out random occupations. He is flabbergasted and irked to learn that his readout is spot-on. Even though Douglas wants a more exciting life, that of trombone player, the machine tells Douglas his life station is "teacher."

Douglas has been a teacher for years and it leaves him depleted and exhausted. Every day that he teaches feels like eight days instead of one. Naturally, he is irked to find he is the only person in town given such a prosaic life station.

Most of the characters are humorous and endearing. Pat, Deerfield High's principal, refuses to swear yet she uses nonsense words that sound suspiciously like swear words. Tipsy is the town's only cab driver. He drives constantly, taking no money for fares, because it helps him keep a promise he has made to himself.

Father Pete is a good man even if he takes a drink now and then. The mayor nearly abandons his mayoral duties after getting his DNAMIX readout of "cowboy."

Mixed in with the humor, however, is an unfolding mystery. What happened to the mayor's son, Toby? Did he die from a DUI accident or was it something even more sinister? Beneath the amusing stories about Deerfield eccentrics, there is a darker story of the mistreatment of a young woman and the unquenched desire for revenge.