Reality’s a Mess – a Poem

Thanks to Isaac Asimov’s inspiration for kicking off this poem.

Reality’s a Mess

By Kate Rauner

A sphere is the most perfect shape

But Earth’s an oblate pear.

Beautiful orbits are circular but ellipses are what’s there.

A species should be distinct,

Breed true, you must concur.

But as lineages move through time distinctions start to blur.

The speed of light is constant,

As every student knows,

But that’s only in a vacuum or we wouldn’t have rainbows.

Nuclear forces strong and weak

With charged particles unite.

By when will gravity join in and stop the physics fight?

Perfection is what’s beautiful

But reality stands the test.

Reality will always win, and reality’s a mess.