Ruthenium
Janet Kuypers
from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series (#44, Ru)
7/14/13
I’ve looked for something
that would pique my interest,
the palladium bored me,
platinum was too expensive
because it was often so rare,
but then I looked around
and that’s when I discovered you.
I mean, there didn’t seem to be
much of a use for you,
I even heard that a metals company
even offered 100 grams of you
free to aspiring researchers
(hoping that someone
one day may find a use for you)...
Organometallic chemistry experts
were even trying to give you away.
Well, sure, chemists used you —
they mixed you with whatever
they could find, just to see
what you might possibly create.
(Kind of like a bartender,
trying to come up with
the perfect cocktail, they
could mix for decades...)
but I’ve looked into it,
and you’re a cheap dull grey,
probably something
I’d find at a Walmart...
I know, I said I was looking
for something to pique my interest,
and though you come around cheaply,
you’re still harder to find.
I’ll keep looking for something
to pique my interest,
and who knows, maybe
one day
people will find just the right niche,
and you’ll be just what I need.
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