poem Platinum, a poem from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series (#078) By Chicago Poet and performance artist Janet Kuypers, Platinum poem, poem, Periodic Table poem, trading poem, Chicago Board of Trade poem, engaged poem, cheating poem, diamond poem, expensive poem, married poem, divorced poem, strongest poem, metal elements poem, durable poem, razor edges poem, corrosion poem, spark plugs poem, heat poem, catalytic converters poem, nitrogen poem, carbon poem, environment poem, thermometers poem, computers poem, neurosurgery poem, cancer medication poem, wealth accumulation poem, Cash for Gold poem

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Platinum #078
edited for the “Poetry Saloon at Noon” feature
at the Chicago Cultural Center /30/13
Janet Kuypers
from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series
A secretary at the Chicago Board of Trade
dated a trader, but after they were engaged,
she cheated on him.
They broke off the engagement
until he forgave her
and offered her an engagement ring
with a solitary diamond
in a thick Platinum setting.
Looking like white gold,
Platinum was more expensive,
so she was pleased
he spent more money on her.
Well, they married, but divorced in a few years.
It’s a shame that marriage couldn’t last
as long as that Platinum engagement ring,
made out of one of the strongest
metal elements in the Periodic Table.
I wonder what they did with that ring.
I hope they returned it,
so a stronger couple could better accentuate
that stronger Platinum ring
and be a better match for all time.
Since Platinum’s so strong and durable
and resistant to heat,
Platinum’s been used in everything
from razor edges to spark plugs
to catalytic converters.
It’s in high-accuracy electronic thermometers,
and Platinum parts are launched into outer space
because Platinum could withstand anything
the Universe may throw at it.
But when I mentioned Platinum
to someone recently,
the only thing they thought
it was for was
“wealth accumulation”.
And I thought, “For what?
Like buying gold bars?”
Because even though I see
“Cash for Gold” ads,
I haven’t seen people or places
making “Cash for Platinum” calls,
but wealth accumulation must be right,
it has a higher value than gold,
and it’s also strong enough
for everything from wedding bands
to outer space,
to truly withstand
the test of time.

Watch the YouTube video
of this Kuypers reading the poem live 1/26/13 on Chicago’s WZRD 88.3 FM radio (Canon),
with music from the HA!Man of South Africa
(2011 Hotel music “the Ice is Melting”)

Enjoy this feature-length YouTube video live 1/26/13 of Kuypers reading her Periodic Table poetry in “Periodic Prep for Radio Poetry” on Chicago’s WZRD 88.3 FM radio, read to music from the HA!Man of South Africa’s 2011 Hotel music the Ice is Melting (this video was filmed from a Canon camera; on Facebook, Twitter, Link ed in, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersperiodictablepoem

See YouTube video
1/26/13 of Kuypers reading 8 Periodic Table poems (including this poem) on Chicago’s WZRD 88.3 FM radio (Samsung), with the HA!Man of South Africa’s 2011 Hotel music the Ice is Melting playing

Watch this YouTube video
of this “Periodic Table of Poetry” poem read live in Chicago 1/30/13 (Canon) at her feature Poetry Saloon at Noon

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her “Periodic Table” poems live in her Chicago 1/30/13 feature Poetry Saloon at Noon, with background music from the HA!Man of South Africa’s “Wayward Waltz of the Fractured Wind” (filmed from a Canon camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Link ed in, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersperiodictablepoem

Download this poem in the free chapbook
the Poetry Saloon at Noon,
w/ the Periodic Table of Poetry poems
chapbook of poems in this show.

Platinum
Janet Kuypers
from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series (#078)
started 8/22/12, continued 9/1/12, finished 9/2/12
A secretary for a trading company
at the Chicago Board of Trade
started dating a trader
(even though he was a trader,
he seemed like a nice guy) —
and after he asked her to marry him
and they were engaged,
she cheating on him
by having an affair with a coworker.
They broke off their engagement
until he forgave her
and offered her an engagement ring
with a huge solitary diamond
in a thick Platinum setting.
Looking like white gold,
Platinum was more expensive,
so she was pleased
she got him to spend
more money on her.
Well, they married,
but within a few years
they were divorced.
It’s a shame that marriage
couldn’t last as long
as that Platinum engagement ring,
made out of one of the strongest
metal elements in the Periodic Table.
I wonder what they did with that ring.
I hope they returned it,
so a stronger couple
could better accentuate
that stronger Platinum ring
and be a better match for all time.
Because I know the Platinum Metal Group
elements are really strong and durable,
because Platinum’s been used in everything
from razor edges to prevent corrosion
to spark plugs, so they can be hotter
and have a longer life.
So yeah, because of Platinum’s
resistance to heat,
it makes sense that Platinum is used
in catalytic converters in cars too —
temporarily pulling the nitrogen
and carbon atoms from
nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide
until they can re-bond
into water and less dangerous byproducts
for the environment.
Because Platinum can really stand the heat,
Platinum’s used for temperature detectors
and high-accuracy electronic thermometers,
and some parts that are launched into space
have been made out of Platinum
because they could not only
withstand the temperatures,
but also prevent corrosion,
so everything being blasted off into space
could stand everything
the Universe may throw at them.
So with Platinum being so resistant to corrosion,
it makes sense that Platinum parts
are in computers, and even in parts
for neurosurgery... I’ve even heard
(though I don’t know the details)
that Platinum may be used
in cancer medication too.
(Wow, that would be great to hear,
if Platinum could also possibly
help people with cancer...)
But when I mentioned Platinum
to someone recently,
the only thing they thought
it was for was
“wealth accumulation”.
And I thought, “For what?
Like buying gold bars?”
Because even though I see
“Cash for Gold” ads,
I haven’t seen people or places
making “Cash for Platinum” calls,
but wealth accumulation must be right,
it has a higher value than gold,
and as we’ve discovered,
it could also be strong enough
for a wedding band
to truly withstand
the test of time.