Young Writers Society

Tomorrow, it begins...

Charlie

1. A scientific sonnet

I pull you close; two elements collide,
And in colliding start a reaction,
That forms a compound Nature had denied --
An artificial state of satisfaction.
We're not organic anymore, you see.
This bond made from my lust and your consent,
Took what was yours with no covalency,
And left an empty shell at your expense.
Though even as we rise, others must fall,
To entropy's inevitable fate.
So we would too if cold chance made the call,
And tumble from this charged excited state.
You're scared, I see, but bonded now with me.
“Don't fear,” I say. “It's just the Chemistry.”

2. Cows

Of all the bovine treats you see,
Milk seems the strangest one to me.
A white emulsion -- packed with fat! --
What sort of person looks at that
And says, "Aha, a tasty treat!
By pulling here upon this teat,
I'll drain this cow of stuff to eat!" ?!

3. Mother's Day

Mother, dear, don't be distraught,
To hear that neither of us bought,
A fluffy duck or fuzzy bear,
To show you that we really care.

You don't want flowers -- they're a pain,
That end up dead or looking lame.
We're thoughtful kids, your son and daughter,
You don't need more plants to water.

And really, what do chocolates say?
Let's go all out, this special day?
It doesn't seem that fair to us --
Poor payment for your years of fuss.

So as you never get a break,
From being Mother, let me state:
This year I'll be a better son,
And try harder to get things done.

You're always there to help us out,
You never get too cross or shout.
You cook for Kings but serve to fools!
Let's see if we can't change these rules.

From now on we will take our share,
To show you that we really care.
For all you are, for all you do,
We thank you Mum, for being you.

4. Knowing

I'm afraid we don't know much at all,
About this world in which we live.
Why there is something and not nothing,
How so much mass can go amiss.

Waves and particles won't pick a side,
Though Quantum Physics does its best.
The Universe keeps getting bigger,
And we don't “get” our planet yet!

Now placebos seem to act like drugs,
An unexplained phenomenon.
Defying all our expectations,
Science falls down to its knees.

But here, in all our ignorance,
We still profess to know?

5. High fantasy

It was a dark and stormy night,
A stranger stood outside.
He wore a cloak of darkest night,
And on the hero, spied.

A clever rogue, with witty tongue,
Was drinking in the bar.
He'll likely also be a prince,
But I've not read that far.

The hero's blond, blue-eyed and daft,
A peasant too, I'm sure.
He'll learn the sword in two short weeks,
In time to win a war.

He has a tutor who is old,
And will not last the book.
His grey hair shows he's quite clever,
So why's he with that schmuck?

They have an archer who's quite good,
And doesn't miss a shot.
Apart from when he does, of course,
Just to advance the plot.

The chests are full of magic swords
Imbued, imbibed and blessed.
They must belong to someone, but
They take them nonetheless.

The bad guy's quite a nasty chap:
A wizard with a staff.
He only employs ugly men,
And seems to like to laugh.

Yet somehow peasant-boy will win,
And also land the girl.
Their love at last will conquer all...
... Excuse me while I hurl.

6. A butterfly weekend

Late Friday evening a butterfly summer hatched
And crawled into shorts and t-shirt
To lie in the garden without sunscreen

The wind still blew a little strongly but there were no clouds,
Only cumulous dollops of icecream
We took outside to enjoy

We knew it wasn't really summer
Just a fleeting bleating breath of life that woke
Us too from our cocoons

But for two days we drank lemonade
And spread the jam a bit too thickly
Because tomorrow we go back to work.

7. Touché

Last year I asked my old history teacher
Why he was so fascinated with the past.
I asked what he was looking for in
Dust, ancient worlds, and burial grounds.
Surely gazing at things that have once been
Can hold no interest for us in the present.

He wouldn't reply, but simply asked:
Then why do we stare at the stars?

8. Penguins

When I was sitting at my desk,
A penguin came and made a nest,
Beside my side -- oh what a pest! --
But I don't love her any less.

She poked her head out of a draw,
And guess what! All the books she saw,
Were complex texts, designed to bore.
She read the first one, then no more.

So Penguin, next time you drop by,
Don't read my books -- they're far too dry.
If there's a chance that I'll be fed,
I think I'll visit you instead.