CONSILIENCE: Flowing Into Indigo

Following UK Science Communicator and Science Poetry blogger Professor Sam Illingworth, I’m inspired by his blog The Poetry of Science, his pedagogy philosophy and love participating in some of his science-poetry challenges.  We first connected via a Skyku project to raise awareness about the health of our atmosphere.  This resulted in my audio recording of a Haiku about how thin the Earth’s layer of air is being broadcast on a radio show in USA! 

Since the online journal CONSILIENCE began in 2020, I have been submitting Science Rhymes to this peer-review science-poetry-arts initiative.  This year, I submitted Flowing Into Indigo for issue #16, themed COLOUR.  At the height of my COVID-19 confinement and brain-fogged state, I learnt that this poem had been accepted for publication on the provision that I also submitted an adequate scientific explanation for the poem, written in my own words (and not via reference links).  That was harder to do than writing the actual poem!

Flowing Into Indigo features in my next book SCIENCE RHYMES IN THE SEA.  I hope to publish it in 2025 as an Amazon print-on-demand book and Kindle eBook.  Elijah Roby has completed all the insightful monochromatic illustrations, cleverly pacing the light-down-to-darkness ambience while revealing highlights for each poem as we descend through every layer of the ocean.  Dr Jordan Pitt has provided a wonderful Foreword, connecting with his research on ocean waves and sea ice.  Another author I admire, Dr Blake Chapman has generously shared her words for the book’s back cover.

The Consilience Journal is something I hope older readers of this website may appreciate.  Regardless of how a poem affects you on reading (be it inspired & amazed or befuddled but curious), after each poem, all is revealed in the author’s best attempt to explain their work.  With 80 academic volunteers to help with the reviewing process, this is a beautiful way to dive into a pot-luck of poems and scientific revelation.

Flowing into Indigo by Celia Berrell

A rainbow of light-waves
can power right through
the top layers of water
to brighten our view
of colourful coral
and cute fishes too
in dazzling hues
of red, yellow, blue.

But these pigments get drowned
as we dive further down.
Yellows turn grey
and reds turn to brown
as part of that rainbow
abandons dive’s quest
‘til only the indigo
blues dive the best.

This Sunlight Zone goes
for two hundred metres.
By then all those colours
are losing their features.
An indigo world
of deep monochrome
then welcomes us to
the Twilight Zone.

The Science

Sunlight can generate rainbows whenever its white light is refracted or spread out into its various light wave frequencies. The electromagnetic energy we identify as red has the longest wave frequency of the rainbow colours (ROYGBIV). Blues and violets have the shortest. (Light waves which are either shorter or longer than these certainly exist, but we can’t actually see them with our own eyes). When sunlight travels down through increasingly deepening water, we can liken the longer red wavelengths to long-legged adults, powerfully striding down into the water. In contrast, the blue-violet wavelengths are more like little kids, happily running round, bumping into molecules. They’re taking lots of tiny steps as though they have energy to spare. Red wavelengths are the first to falter. When every stride needs to be enormous, they quickly run out of impetus.

Pigments and surfaces we identify as red are absorbing the other wavelengths of visible light and predominantly reflect only the red ones. As red frequency light waves diminish, this colour begins to dull, turning brown and eventually appearing black, since all other colour frequencies were already being absorbed. A bright yellow fish could still be reflecting a proportion of white light, along with specific yellow frequency light waves. Still, as the number of yellow-frequency light waves become less, and the intensity of light in general fades, that yellow colour dulls and begins to appear grey. It too would eventually darken to black, far enough down the water column. Even in bright sunshine and clear waters, we don’t expect to detect natural colours from sunlight past 200 metre depths. There is either a faint glimpse of light from those remaining short-frequency blue-violet light waves (also known as indigo) or complete darkness. We refer to this monochromatic region as the Twilight Zone.

The Poet

Celia Berrell’s Science Rhymes regularly feature in CSIRO’s Double Helix magazine & Australian Children’s Poetry. They have been published in school textbooks around the world. The Science Rhymes Book (Jabiru 2018) has 70 scientifically accurate poems relevant to the primary science curriculum. The Science Rhymes website shares student poems, promoting Australia’s National Science Week each August. Poems in anthologies include Penguin DK’s A World Full of Poems for ‘Peace by Piece’ and The Emma Press’s The Bee is not Afraid of Me for ‘True Bugs are Suckers’.

 

For those still reading, I particularly enjoyed Vaishnavi Shridhar’s Flying Kaleidoscope about butterfly wings from this issue of CONSILIENCE.

The Great Australian Science Book: REVIEW

I suppose you could simply read “The Great Australian Science Book”, but in many ways it’s too busy and too exciting for that.  This is a book that invites us to explore!

The introduction is fabulously friendly.  Professor Luke O’Neil creates profound prose in a nutshell.  Combined with Linda Fahrlin’s illustrations, each double page is like a treasure map to be examined and poured over like a pioneer.  Each one rewards us with giggles and science gold.

I took my time with this book.  Part romp, part reference, it is definitely something I’ll enjoy returning to for a BIG PICTURE view on any of the carefully categorised science topics within.

I just got a bit miffed by a few Irish issues.  You see, this book started out as “The Great Irish Science Book”.  CSIRO have lovingly adjusted it to include plenty of worthy Australian content.  There’s a large image of the Earth on p18, proudly displaying the Australian continent.  But every other depiction of our planet shows the other side – from a smidgen of the Americas, through Europe, Africa and Asia.  A tiny Earth or two, from an Australian perspective, would have been appreciated.

On page 57, an image used to parody how DNA and RNA use different languages to communicate is of a book of IRISH TALES.  English versus Irish was fine for the Irish version of this book, but perhaps we could have seen an image of a book cover from a language closer to our Australian home please?  And what on earth do the letters GAA stand for at the top of page 79?  It turns out to be GAELIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION!  I’m sure there would be a suitable Australian comparison available.

However, these are just slights or possible oversights.  I really loved how the science on climate change is presented as a quiz; how key science terms are in shouty contrasting colours, so we can’t lose them; how there are plenty of little jokes and witticisms within the illustrations and text.  This is a very cheerful book about almost-everything-we-need-to-know science.  I hope it will brighten, heighten and highlight more than just one day or one science concept for you, as it has for me.

 

POETRY ZOO

A big THANK YOU to all the adults and students who have shared their creations about LOVING LIVING THINGS for #ScienceWeek2024 (10-18 August) and POETRY MONTH!

STUDENT POEMS:

Kidneys and Mussels by Chloe F & ChatGPT
(Mandurah Baptist College, WA)

In waters deep where currents weave,
Where sea and sky a tale conceive,
The mussels cling with steadfast might,
Nature’s filters, day and night.

With shells that guard their tender hearts,
They purify where life imparts,
Through siphons, drawing in the sea,
Cleansing waters, wild and free.

Within our forms, a mirrored grace,
The kidneys hold a vital place,
In veins where crimson rivers stream,
They filter life, a constant theme.

Nephrons toil in silent chore,
Clearing toxins, evermore,
Through loops and ducts, the blood they mend,
A tireless work, no start nor end.

So, mussels in the ocean’s flow,
And kidneys where our pulses go,
Each play a role in Nature’s plan,
Preserving life, as best they can.

 

Mushrooms and Fungi  by Tayla & ChatGPT
(Mandurah Baptist College, WA)

In hidden realms beneath the ground,
mycelium spreads without a sound.
From forest deep to urban sprawl,
fungi weave life’s thread, standing tall.

Through symbiosis, they sustain.
Decomposing, they cleanse and gain.
From mushrooms’ caps to moulds unseen,
nature’s recyclers, evergreen.

 

Stem Cells by Alannah and Yana & ChatGPT
(Mandurah Baptist College, WA)

Stem cells are like tiny builders.
In bones and brains, their craft bewilders.
From marrow’s heart, when they’re awoken,
they multiply and fix what’s broken.
They self-renew, then fade away.
But in that time, they save the day.
Repairing tissues, they do their part,
keeping us healthy, right from the start.

 

Hawksbill’s Odyssey: A Tale of the Endangered Sea by Zeke & Chat GPT
(Mandurah Baptist College, WA)

In coral reefs with colours bright,
where waters gleam with sky-blue light,
the Hawksbill turtle roams so free.
A marvel of the deep blue sea.

It feasts on sponges, toxic, rare.
A meal few other beasts would dare!
Through the Pacific, Atlantic tides,
in Indian waters, it resides.

From feeding grounds to nesting shores,
she journeys far, where warm sea pours.
A migration grand, to beach birthright,
guided by the ocean’s light.

Yet shadows cast upon its shell,
a tale of sorrow we must tell.
For centuries, of greed and trade,
mean turtles need our help and aid.

Their critically endangered tale
sees numbers low, its fate now frail.
But hope remains if we unite,
to guard its home and end the blight.

 

The Gods of the Wild Ducks by Louis and Ethan & ChatGPT
(Mandurah Baptist College, WA)

In quiet ponds where short shrubs sway, 
the ducks glide softly, night and day.
With silky feathers, soft and light, 
they swim in circles, oh what a sight. 

At dusk they forage, without a sound.
Their presence emerges all around.
Together they glide, couples side-by-side,
in harmony, with gentle pride. 

Through river’s roots they weave and dart.
Eating and dabbling, they depart, 
for games of chase, to quack and play, 
on watery ponds in life’s ballet. 

When winter’s chill begins to bite, 
they gather close, a cozy sight, 
then flocks will form, as ducks alight, 
for warmer waters, all take flight. 

We celebrate ducks, both wild and free, 
in everyone’s heart, they live rent free.
With feathers so soft, their souls so bright, 
they fill our minds with pure delight. 

 

Tasmanian Devil by Lucy and Tiffany & ChatGPT
(Mandurah Baptist College, WA)

Crawling through the night,
a person’s greatest fright,
under the moonlit stars,
covered in all its scars.

Creeping through the shadows,
as the harsh wind blows,
a nocturnal creature,
silent and eager.

Dark, black eyes,
eating animals double their size.
Strong teeth and jaws;
Dagger-like claws.

Ear-bursting scream,
Echoes through a bad dream,
a fearsome, spine-chilling call,
over mountains tall.

Hunting alone, rushing around,
yet feasting together unbound.
Wild and free-spirited, roaming his territory,
Tasmania’s heart, he will always be!

 

Deep Blue by Shayla and Georgia
(Mandurah Baptist College, WA)

Deep blue waters slowly fade grey,
colourful corals are bleaching away.
Hello litter, you’re choking sea-life,
the ocean is now in serious strife.
Sharks fail to thrive, seals fail to chase
with less clear space for fish to race.
Seagulls are strangled and crabs are tangled.
Fishing line is the knife of the ocean,
But people aren’t raising enough commotion.
What once was there
is getting stripped bare.
The ocean’s in serious despair.
We need many people to care.

 

Firefly by Chloe O
(Mandurah Baptist College, WA)

Luminescent and bright,
flying through the night,
fiery tonight.
Lift and thrust,
gravity and drag,
Making you fly so nice tonight.
My little friend flying so high. 

 

Beautiful Trees by Lyla
(Mandurah Baptist College, WA)

Trees absorb carbon dioxide each day,
deep in the forest, where shadows play.
Solar-cell leaves wave in the breeze,
soaking up sunshine to feed their trees.

A tree-trunk’s rings show its age fulfilled.
Beneath their branches, the earth is still
where roots reach far through dirt and soil,
these anchors hold firm as they curl and coil.

In Autumn’s light, shedding sheets of gold
a fleet of splendour precedes winter’s cold.
This home for wildlife, when new buds appear
make Spring’s rebirth in trees so dear.

When winter’s breeze is ice and bare
do trees carry thoughts of summer’s flare?
Through every season’s subtle tease
trees are most sacred
for people …
and bees.

 

The Forest Bear drawn by Muhammad

The Forest Bear by Muhammad-Rizqi-Akbar-Riani & ChatGPT
(Li Sing Tai Hang Elementary School, Hong Kong)

In forest dense, where tall trees stand,
our Brown Bear ambles on the land.
Wandering through the leafy ground,
seeking tasty food around.

Hunting claws and shaggy fur,
our bear’s large paws rest unperturbed.
Endless hunger makes him search for
berries, nuts, and bugs galore,

In forest dense, he wanders on.
Alert for danger, sharp at dawn,
smelling air for friend or foe,
not knowing what the woods may show.

When snow comes, he will find his den.
Curling up to sleep till when
the Spring returns, with longer days,
then back to endless foraging ways.

As cycles turn and turn once more,
our brown bear wanders as before.
Always watchful, ever strong,
content to roam the whole day long.

When they aren’t hibernating, Brown Bears take some short naps in the daytime.  Otherwise, they are busy eating nearly all day and night!

 

Photo by Stacey James

Baby Turtle Race by Aodhan James-Bige with Stacey James (Bundaberg, QLD)

I live in a Queensland coastal town,
where there’s so much amazing wildlife around.
I’m lucky to be right across from the beach,
where a Loggerhead Turtle nursery’s in reach.

One day in February, at my favourite place,
I was amazed to see …. baby turtles race!
Through sand, pumping flippers, more and more,
often stumbling, they raced towards ocean’s roar.

Four little hatchlings, but which way to go?
Our turtle’s the reason to keep down night’s glow.
Their instinct’s to aim towards town’s light,
even though the ocean’s within their sight.

As the hatchlings scramble along the sand,
their inner compass remembers this land.
Reaching adulthood, they might just return
to this exact place from where they were born.

Only one in a thousand survive to be adults.
We need to help them get better results!
We can clean up our beaches and clean up the sea
to ensure that more turtles will thrive, swimming free.

 

Cavoodles by Phoebe-Hope & AI (Oakhurst, NSW)

In fur of blended grace, part Poodle, part Cavalier,
Cavoodles meld traits with intelligence clear.
Cute eyes and fluffy ears is their tale,
Cuddly companions whose love will not pale.
With each hug, a cheerful bond will prevail.
In coats of blended grace, where breeds entwine,
Cavoodles meld traits with playfulness fine.
Easy-going, with ticklish tails that sway,
Their sunny smiles brighten even the darkest day.
With each cuddle, their love a steadfast sail.
In fur of blended grace, part Poodle, part Cavalier,
Cavoodles, a treasure truly, a God-send.
Loyal and gentle, with hearts ever kind,
They embody traits from both, forever entwined.
With each day, their friendship will never fail.

 

Main Ideas of Science by Arianne & ChatGPT
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In the heart of atoms, where protons dance,
electrons whirl in a quantum trance.
Quarks and leptons, forces entwined,
form the cosmos, matter combined.

Stars ignite with fusion’s might,
in cosmic forges, atoms light.
Galaxies spin in dark matter’s embrace,
universe expanding, an endless race.

DNA’s code in a double helix bound,
life’s instructions in cells are found.
Evolution’s journey, a wondrous quest,
from ancient oceans to humanity’s crest.

Neurons fire in a brain’s vast net,
thoughts and dreams in synapse set.
Consciousness blooms in electric streams,
mind’s frontier, where science dreams.

Climate shifts in Earth’s fragile sphere,
carbon footprints we must revere.
Nature’s balance we strive to keep,
to protect the planet, our future to reap.

 

Stars of the Earth by Tabitha
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

When the Earth resounds with a darkened whisper,
mycelium grows – a reaching twister,
crouching amongst the cold wet soil,
a sprout of light begins its toil.

A spirit of the forest gone,
the ghost fungus lingers on.
While the light of day drowns it out,
the ghost fungus survives this drought.

Poisonous beauty, brilliant glow,
striking the stomach with a dull arrow.

Iridescent auroras pepper the ground,
stars of the Earth abound.
Fireflies feel the glow familiar,
natures nightlight – a glimmering saviour!

Glowworms and fireflies
as bioluminescence sighs,
hidden comfortably inside
nature’s nightlights, where the glow abides.

 

The Earth’s Gentle Whisper by Thalia & ChatGPT
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In the heart of morning’s light,
where dew-kissed leaves in silence gleam,
whispers of the earth invite,
to live in nature’s tender dream.

Gentle steps on paths we tread,
preserving life in every stride.
From forest green to riverbed,
with care and love, our worlds collide.

Beneath the canopy’s embrace,
we plant the seeds of future days.
In every breath, in every space,
we honour earth in humble ways.

The oceans sing a lullaby.
Their waves a call to mindful care
in azure depths where secrets lie,
we pledge to keep their treasures fair.

The sky, adorned with hues of dawn,
reminds us of our sacred duty
to cherish lands we walk upon,
and guard the planet’s fragile beauty.

In harmony, our lives entwine
with nature’s pulse, a rhythm pure.
To be eco-friendly is our sign
of love for Earth that will endure.

 

Science by Isabella M & ChatGPT
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In the dance of stars and atoms’ play,
Science seeks to light the way.
Through cosmos vast and micro world,
where mysteries in beauty twirled.

With logic sharp and curiosity keen,
it charts the realms that lie unseen.
From quarks that shimmer, dark and deep,
to galaxies where ancient secrets sleep.

The formulae in nature’s rhyme,
speak truths of space and boundless time.
In labs where sparks and circuits hum,
the future’s whispered truths become.

From Newton’s apple to quantum’s leap,
in each discovery, wonders creep.
Science writes in equations clear,
the story of our world so dear.

Yet beyond the facts and figures cold,
it’s wonder that the heart can hold.
For in the quest to understand,
lies the magic of the grand.

 

Nature’s Army of Oddities by Isabella S
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

Rafflesia, high above will loom,
greatest flower, cursed with foul perfume,
lures in flies to their eventual doom.
Nature’s oddity in full bloom.
Life from rot in jungle’s gloom.

Poison ivy crawls,
over the damp forest floor sprawls,
“Touch me!” it calls,
then burns you up to your eyeballs.
Nature’s caution, danger over all.

Nightshades, berries dark and blossoms white,
a thin layer of beauty masks a heart of spite.
Hidden danger’s bite,
toxic beauty, just out of sight.
Nature’s charm with peril’s might.

Foxgloves tall and fair,
bell-shaped blooms with colours rare,
medicinal, but tread with care,
toxic – touch with caution there.
Nature’s gift, a tempered flare.

Wolfsbane’s darkened hue,
poisoned blooms with toxic brew.
Moonlight shadows drew,
danger in its fragrance true.
Nature’s fearsome, lethal view.

 

Extinction of the Sloth by Cooper
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

The pygmy three-toed sloth gently sleeps.
Yet, as chainsaws gnaw and fires burn, 
the sloth’s small world is under siege.
In his extinction, what shall we learn? 
Of the loss that our greed might besiege.
In the balance we vow to keep.

 

Eco Friendly by Aaliyah
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In a vast world that’s bustling and bright,
let’s make green choices, day and night.
With every action, large or small,
we can make the Earth stand tall.

Recycle glass, cans and paper.
Our efforts will make our world safer.
Use reusable bags with pride and flair.
Protect the oceans and show you care!

Grow fruits and veggies, it’s a grand affair,
with benefits for Earth beyond compare.
Growing your fruits means way less waste.
Reducing packaging, a refreshing taste.

Ride your bike or take the bus,
reduce the carbon footprint fuss.
Support products that cherish the Earth.
Every purchase has its worth.

Let’s all embark on this green crusade
with joyful hearts and plans made.
For a vibrant, thriving, lush domain,
let’s all go green and break the chain!

 

Spider Lily Sweetheart by Rubi (St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)
Lycoris radiata

The sad goddess of death
will take away your breath.
For her petals are of garnet fire
that blaze to the soft melody of a lyre.

With her striking looks
you can’t deny that she hooks
the flamboyant hummingbirds
and other pollinating plant nerds.

Her blooms, vibrant and violent,
make her largest audience silent.
As she blooms year after year,
from her toxic bulb, steer clear.

For no matter the weather
her petals extend like feathers.

Thriving beauty.
That is her duty.

 

Lion by Joshua & ChatGPT
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In savanna’s golden, sunlit grace,
the lion roams with stately pace.
His tawny coat and mighty frame
command the wild, uphold his fame.

With roars that echo through the trees
he claims his realm with fervent pleas.
A call that travels far and wide
to mark his realm, his strength and pride.

In prides, they form a social chain
with bonds of kin, both joy and pain.
The lionesses, stealthily skilled
will stalk through dusk, their hunt fulfilled.

Their manes, like crowns of ancient kings,
are not just for show. When day’s heat stings
from fiercest sun, it helps them cool.
A thermal cloak that’s nature’s tool!

Yet, threats loom large in changing times
from habitat loss, and poachers’ crimes.
Our efforts must blend the lion’s roar
with species survival at its core.

 

The Aye-Aye by Dominic & ChatGPT
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In the heart of Madagascar, where the moonlight softly glows,
lives a creature of the shadows, where the baobab tree grows.
With eyes that gleam like amber in the cloak of darkest night,
the aye-aye moves in silence.  A phantom out of sight.

Its fur is dark and scruffy, a cloak against the chill.
A spectral hunter of the dusk, with instincts sharp and still.
Upon a twisted finger, long and thin like a bone,
it taps upon the hollow wood, a dainty clicking tone.

This nocturnal magician, with a nose for hidden prey,
listens for secret stirrings where insect larvae lay.
Its claws, like tiny daggers, draw forth that tasty feast,
an enigmatic ritual, performed by nature’s beast.

The aye-aye, a creature strange, misunderstood and rare,
holds the forest’s mysteries, in its silent, midnight stare.
With every tap and scratch, it dances to the tune
of an ancient forest symphony beneath the silver moon.

 

Funny Fungus by Isabella T
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In the heart of the forest, where shadows play,
lived a fungus so funny, brightening each day.
Its name was Amanita, the clown of the woods.
Spreading its joy through mycelial hoods.

In symbiosis with trees as its niche,
exchanging nutrients, a mutual wish.
Mycorrhizal connections, a network so grand,
helped trees grow tall, where Amanita would stand.

Its spores spread wide, on a breeze so light,
creating new colonies in dim forest light.
A decomposer, it tickled the earth,
enhancing the cycle of death and rebirth.

As the forest folk gathered beneath twilight’s glow,
Amanita’s role in the web we now know
is nitrogen cycles, and carbon’s grand tour,
of phosphorus pathways, and potassium’s allure.

With a cap so red and white spots so neat,
it grew in the soil, where roots often meet.
Its saprotroph nature, breaks down decay,
turning death into dirt in its own quirky way.

 

Spider Poem by Zoe
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In the corners where shadows gracefully weave,
spiders spin their art.  It’s crazy what they can achieve!
Eight legs in motion, a graceful ballet,
moving through threads with a purposeful sway.
Eight beady cameras, scanning the scene,
watching for prey, to devour when seen.
Their web weaves a tapestry, intricate, bright.
A pattern of threads that glimmer in the light.
Each strand is a ribbon of nature’s own thread,
designed for the hunt, so our spider is fed.
Venomous fangs, feared by more than a few
are their tools for survival, as many all knew.
To paralyse then feast, a strategy grand,
charmingly crafted in evolution’s hand.

 

Tree Kangaroo by Chelsea & ChatGPT
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In rainforests lush, where the canopy sways, 
A kangaroo leaps through the forest’s green maze.
With fur that is thick, beautifully tanned,
it grips a branch in its arboreal land.

The Dendrolagus species, a name that is sound,
Jumps tree to tree, high off the ground.
New Guinea, Australia’s, where they are found.
They’re strong but there aren’t many left around.

In the trees, almost silent, a shadow it seems,
moving with grace through daylight and dreams.
Their diet’s composed of leaves, fruit, and flowers,
Foraging quietly in twilight hours.

With nocturnal habits, they rest through the day,
in hidden dens high, where the sunlight can’t stray,
Their call is a growl, a sound that’s quite rare.
A song of the wild through the tropical air.

Conservation efforts are vital, indeed.
For habitat loss is a troubling need.
Protecting their forests, their homes on high,
will help populations reach for the sky.

 

The Grandeur Gleams by Allessandra
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In tangled woods, where moonlight gently streams,
the strangler fig holds secrets, and tall dreams.
Its life begins atop a host so high,
its epiphytic way a clever ploy.

The Venus flytrap, sits where insects roam,
Its hairs are sensors when those bugs come home,
When insects step, it snaps and traps with speed,
digesting prey to meet its nutrient need.

In shallow oceans coral polyps build,
Their calcium reefs where vibrant life’s fulfilled,
Algae’s symbiotic dance profound,
is where sea’s photosynthesis is found.

The Arctic’s bloom, the snowdrop’s early flower,
Survives the chill in winter’s frozen hour.
Its petal’s proteins shun iced winter’s veil,
allowing blooms, whose strength will not grow frail.

So, marvel at the science in each life,
from forest depths to reefs and Arctic strife.
The world’s a web where nature’s secrets lay,
in every leaf and creature’s grand display.

 

Eco Friendly Poem by Jasmin
(St Thomas More College, Sunnybank QLD)

In a world so massive, nature’s our friend.
We can make a difference how problems can end.
By recycling our waste, not in the trash,
we’ll help keep our planet from turning to ash.

Turn off the lights when you’re not in the room.
We need to act now to prevent future gloom.
Plant more greenery, gardens and trees.
Having more flowers helps protect the bees.

Change plastic to paper that goes to landfill
so it won’t pile up into a big hill.
Make shower-time less than eight minutes long.
Anything more could be seen as wrong.

Instead of our cars polluting the air,
treat our environment kindly and fair.
Our Earth will greatly appreciate this act.
Caring for our planet is a vital fact.

 

POEMS CREATED BY ADULTS:

Angels of Night by Kelly Sheldrick & ChatGPT
(Murdoch University, Perth)

In twilight’s embrace, they take to the sky, 
Bats, silent guardians, soaring high. 
With wings that cut through the cool night air, 
they dance in shadows with grace and flair.

In caves they gather, a colony’s throng. 
Their cavern’s a chorus of nocturnal song. 
To pollinate flowers, far from home,
from dusk till dawn, they’ll tirelessly roam. 

In jungles dense and forests tall, 
they hunt for insects through high-pitched calls.
With echolocation they play their part, 
in this natural symphony’s work of art.

Seed dispersers in moonlit glens, 
they scatter new life, time and again. 
In keeping habitats healthy and sound,
their ecosystem-role is profound.

Their marvel of evolution unfolds,
despite those skin-winged fears some hold.
Angels of night in spirited flight
are twilight guardians, singing the night.

 

Mistaken Identity by Toni Newell
(Striped Legless Lizard)

I am a lizard,
But look like a snake,
Don’t have a forked tongue,
If I bite it won’t ache.
Love to eat crickets,
Spiders and more,
That’s why I’m known,
As a carnivore.
I eat in the day,
Sleep during the night,
Squeak when threatened,
Or if I get a fright.
I’m handsome to look at,
With stripes either side,
Relatively small,
Makes it easy to hide.
My enemies are,
The fox and the cat,
If I really get scared,
Drop my tail to distract.
Sometimes the humans,
Make a mistake,
Become very frightened,
They think I’m a snake.
I am Australian,
And want to remain,
Out there in the grasslands,
In that lovely terrain.

 

The Meerkat Mob by Jeanie Axton

Standing high up on a rock
Mumma Meerkat checked the sky
on sentinel duty for predator birds
flying past on high

Daddy Meerkat ran around
keeping pups out of danger
raised his hair and hissed quite loud
when threatened by a stranger

Grandma Meerkat faced the sun
as she was feeling beat
her tummy a solar pane
soaking in the heat

Grandpa Meerkat looked for food
he had a big mob to feed
scratching deep in the sand
his nose guiding him to seeds

All the Meerkats knew their place
decisions made on the go
working together in community
while putting on a show

 

Little Tommy Roundhead by Sharon Hammad (Winmalee NSW)
Diporiphora australis

Little Tommy Roundhead
sunbakes on the lawn,
tattoos marching down his back,
yellow ochre yawn.

Tail that tapers daintily
curving to the sky,
watching out for danger with
each dark unblinking eye.

Darts behind a pot plant,
scampers up the wall,
disappears as fast as if
he wasn’t here at all!

Tommy Roundhead or Diporiphora australis can be found in Australian backyards, but only if you look carefully.

 

A Super-seed Solution  by Sukarma Thareja (Kanpur, India)

We’re having a 
global warming crisis
as temperatures
are on the rise.

We’re seeing more droughts
and rivers are shrinking.
Cycles and seasons
bring more surprise.

Crops such as rice,
or maize and wheat
are struggling in
the drought and heat.

So how can we feed
humanity?
How can we beat
this calamity?

Millets are tough.
Plants get less stressed.
This Indian cereal
crop is the best!

The United Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets. Millets use less water and take less time to grow than most other cereal crops. They can withstand drought and heat and have a high nutritional value.

 

No one likes a fungus by Ella Thompson

No one likes a fungus, and I find that’s quite unfair.
There are lots of different fungi you might find to love out there.
Some lurk in darkest corners. Others big and bold and bright.
My favourite kind of fungi are the ones that glow at night!

Most fungi are hard workers – cleaning-up the forest floor,
sending back all nutrients to where they were before.
Some have special powers and can stop you getting sick.
Remember THAT – the next time that you see one and say “ick”.

Earth needs all its fungi so that ecosystems thrive.
In fact, a giant fungus is the biggest thing alive.
No one likes a fungus, and I really think they should.
They’re not as nasty as you think…

… they’re just misunderstood.

 

 

Sea Stars by Graham Seal

Once they were called Starfish,
but now they’ve changed their name.
Turns out they’re not a fish at all,
so their name can’t stay the same.

Starfish don’t have fishy bits,
like gills or scales or fins,
instead they are echinoderms –
that means they’re sea urchins.

But whatever you want to call them,
forever floating in the sea,
whether it’s ‘Seastar’ or ‘Starfish’ –
STARS they’ll always be.

 

Here’s a suite of 4 Limericks about a crustacean:

See You Later, Slater
A species recovery plan by Mary Cresswell

(If you think I’m an insect, you’re wrong:
My cousin the lobster has long
            dominated the market ­–
            but he can just cark it
while I sing my inimitable song.)

They first found me under a pot –
Where I came from, they knew or cared not.
            They checked up in the books
            and turned loose the chooks
and wiped out my home in a shot.

Now, I lay all my eggs in a pouch
to keep the babes safe in a stoush.
            When they’ve got enough legs
            I race off to the dregs
and perform as The Fabled Wood Louse.

Plus, I know to curl up like a pill
and roll at top speed down the hill –
            If that sort of vibe
            doesn’t salvage the tribe
then I really can’t tell you what will. 

 

The golden orb weaving spider by John Scally with ChatGPT

In the garden’s twilight glow, the golden orb weaver spins,
No reason to fear, for her nature is kind;
she’ll share the garden,
she doesn’t mind.

Her silk web, a masterpiece,
glistens in the light,
Elaborate and strong,
a marvel of nature’s might.

She helps control the insects, with grace she does her part,
Eating mossies, moths, and beetles, with a gentle, quiet art.
Her venom, a mystery, in labs it’s being sought,
For medicine and biotech, new wonders may be wrought.

In nets of long, bendy silk, her prey find no escape,
Trapped in sticky threads, their fate she does shape.
The golden orb weaver, a guardian of the night,
In her web of wonders, she weaves nature’s light.

 

Villanelle for Eastern Quolls  by Michael Leach

Eastern quolls awake then run through the night
round their acreage—each home range.
Their lives depend on us doing what’s right.

Eastern quolls like to stay out of the light
in a hole, cleft, log or old grange.
Eastern quolls awake then run through the night.

At zoos and reserves, we study the sight
of eastern quolls’ fur—coats that change.
Their lives depend on us doing what’s right.

Eastern quolls are like house cats that get quite
displeased when not roaming free range.
Eastern quolls awake then run through the night.

These quolls run into pests, bugs and the blight
of fires that grow as climates change.
Their lives depend on us doing what’s right.

These quolls are spotted in Tassie alright
but mainland sightings would be strange.
Eastern quolls awake then run through the night.
Their lives depend on us doing what’s right.

 

What Can You Do? by Graham Seal

What about recycling?
That’s something you can do
to save the planet every day
and save some money, too.

You could take up gardening
and grow veggies in the yard,
or start a steamy compost heap,
it isn’t very hard.

Maybe you could buy less stuff,
not use so much plastic,
and more refillable containers
would be just fantastic.

However you go about it,
whatever you might do,
please just do something,
because it’s up to me and you.

 

Wheelie Bins by Graham Seal

Some Wheelie bins are yellow,
Some Wheelie bins are green,
And there is a shiny red one –
They keep things nice and clean.
But only if our rubbish goes
Into the proper bin,
And if you take a little care
About the things that you throw in.

 

Zap, Crackle – Stop!  by Celia Berrell

It sounds like a cracker
each time a bug-zapper
electrocutes one of those insects.
To protect our meat pies
from pic-nicking flies,
that zapper is nowhere near perfect.

It’s a haphazard thug
killing mostly good bugs
important for plant pollination
plus millions of beetles
who never harm people.
It’s rather a sad situation.

Their UV light glow
won’t attract mosquitoes.
It’s CO2 breath mozzies seek.
So this gadget’s NO-GO
and, for those in the know,
it’s best to use bug spray with DEET.

NAIDOC & Double Helix

#72 is a special issue of CSIRO’s Double Helix magazine as it contains segments on Indigenous science topics as a way of celebrating this year’s NAIDOC Week – Sunday 7th to 14th July.  (NAIDOC stands for National Aboriginal and Islander Day Organisation Committee.)

Included is my poem SEA-WAVES AND SEA-ICE, which is about award-winning scientist Dr Jordan Pitt and his research.  After I created the poem, I sent Dr Pitt a message (via LinkedIn), asking his permission to submit this poem for publication in Double Helix.  After reading my draft of the poem, he kindly said “YES”.

CSIRO sends me two copies of the magazine – one to keep (and treasure) and one to share.  I sent my spare copy to Dr Pitt.  But before I posted it, I had a serendipitous idea.

I’d just received some illustrations by Elijah Roby in Cairns for my next book: SCIENCE RHYMES IN THE SEA.  This collection of 36 poems starts at the ocean’s surface and dives down to the deep-sea floor.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a Foreword to the book written by an award-winning scientist who is researching the mechanics and nature of this body of life-giving, life-living water?

Having some beautiful images from Elijah enhancing these poems gave me confidence to ask Dr Pitt a big favour.  As well as the Double Helix magazine, I sent him some examples of Elijah’s art entwining a selection of verses, along with a letter, respectfully stating my request.

Last week, Dr Pitt got back to me and agreed to write a Foreword for the book!  We also exchanged photos or ourselves with our copies of the Double Helix magazine.

I’m sharing this behind-the-scenes story as a way of saying THANK YOU to:

  • Dr Jordan Pitt, Associate Dean Indigenous Strategy and Services, The University of Sydney, Faculty of Science, School of Mathematics and Statistics, for being supportive of these poetry projects.
  • David Shaw, Editor of Double Helix at CSIRO for selecting SEA-ICE AND SEA-WAVES for Double Helix #72.
  • Artist Elijah Roby for his timely completion of illustrations for the book SCIENCE RHYMES IN THE SEA (due for publication early 2025).
  • And to NAIDOC Week, for being the catalyst that has brought this all together.

Carefully crafting a publication, such as a book or magazine, may have its moments of solitude.  But is rarely realised in isolation.  Behind the scenes, there’s a team of talent to thank!

Dr Jordan Pitt reading the poem SEA-ICE AND SEA-WAVES by Celia Berrell

THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL poem explained

The Beauty of it All  by Celia Berrell

All we can touch, and all we see
began in cosmic history.
How long ago came things to be?
Perhaps it was infinity.

All our surroundings hold in store
the clues to what has gone before.
A fascination long prevails
to understand time’s every tale.

Our tiny Earth holds precious gifts
as through the universe it drifts
with organisms varied, rife,
are we alone in having life?

This special form of energy
enduring in its frailty
bestows such beauty, all admired.
Intelligence is awe inspired.

THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL is one of ten poems from the Environmental Poetry page of the Science Rhymes website (2009).  Guided by James Cook University A/Prof Hilary Whitehouse’s environmental education topics, and Sharon Davson’s spiritual art, THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL was inspired by Davson’s painting Called Away.  The poem and image were published together in Australia’s Macmillan English 7, edited by Sandra Bernhardt (2011), and the poem is now scheduled for publication with Amity University Press, based in Noida, India (2025).

Called Away by Sharon Davson

Called Away is an oil painting of an open book with the makings of a jig-saw puzzle draped over it. The upper section of the puzzle is about TIME and the lower section is about LIFE.  The first two verses of The Beauty of it All are the poet’s responses and questions about TIME.  The second two verses about LIFE.

 

“Without stardust and starlight, our universe may not have existed.  We now know all the atoms, gas, dust, rocks and substances we can touch and see probably appeared as a result of a ‘Big Bang’, believed to have happened 14 billion years ago.”

All we can touch, and all we see began in cosmic history.

 

“Before scientists and astronomers came up with 14 billion years as an age for our universe, some people thought it was around six thousand years old, while others believed it had no beginning or end.  Maybe the ‘Big Bang’ was just one of many ‘Big Bounces’; or perhaps we live in a Multiverse!  Despite our universe’s age-estimate being 14 billion years, we can still choose to think that some version of our universe may have existed forever – for infinity.”

How long ago came things to be?  Perhaps it was infinity.

 

“Since fossil hunters and geologists began finding bones of extinct animals such as the dinosaurs, and other fascinating facts about the cosmos going back in time, scientists have continued to collect plenty of clues and evidence.  We’ve discovered many things about significant environmental and historical events here on Earth and beyond.”

All our surroundings hold in store the clues to what has gone before.

 

“Our insatiable human curiosity means that many of us want to find out even more!  More about what has happened in the past (through studying things like rocks and stars), and what future conditions may be (through including computer models and Artificial Intelligence to crunch all our discovered information).”

A fascination long prevails to understand time’s every tale.

 

“Since Astronauts ventured into space, especially with travelling to the Moon in the late 1960’s, we have had the precious privilege of seeing what planet Earth looks like from afar.  In the scheme of the Solar System and the cosmos, IT’S VERY SMALL!  And as far as we know, it may be the only place where living things exist.  But that question bugs us no end … do we really want to know the answer?  It could be scary – either way!

Our tiny Earth holds precious gifts as through the universe it drifts
with organisms, varied, rife.  Are we alone in having life?

 

“Through our knowledge of fossils, ice, rocks and extinctions, we have begun to realise that our planet’s environment can change – sometimes dramatically.  We now understand that life on Earth was almost completely wiped out a number of times. Life is really rather fragile!”

This special form of energy, enduring in its frailty,

 

“But we only have to look around us, in nature and out to the stars, to see that we are supported and surrounded by stuff that is truly fantastical; sometimes inexplicably crazy; inspiring; puzzling, yet frightfully gorgeous.

Bestows such beauty, all admired

 

“But does that garden snail see the same wonder as a human being does?  No.   Our awareness, sentience and magical minds give us the ability to REALISE HOW AWESOME nature really is!  Your pet dog might howl at the moon sometimes and delight in sniffing the weirdest smells, but even such closest creature relatives can’t see the world quite like us.  We have our intelligence to thank for that.  And either, with or without science in your hearts, THE WORLD IS AMAZINGLY AMAZING!!!  So, please try not to take it for granted.”

intelligence is awe-inspired.

 

CHRISTMASTIME RHYMES: Artistry & Reviews

A delightful INDIE BOOK LAUNCH for CHRISTMASTIME RHYMES is happening at GOODY’S ON THE BEACH, 54 Moreton Street, Toogoom, QLD 4655 on Thursday 4th July from 10 to 10.30am.  Author Celia Berrell and friends will share a selection of poems for this CHRISTMAS IN JULY celebration.

YOU’RE INVITED!

The Christmastime Rhymes Facebook Page explains how this book’s collection of poems evolved and shares examples.  Including other Christmas-themed book reviews, it aims to encourage an acceptance for novel Christmastime celebrations.  You are welcome to follow, as the journey continues.

The artistry of CHRISTMASTIME RHYMES connects Christmas card scenes and symbols with a sprinkling of science, prompting smiles and surprises for all ages. 

Celebrations around the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice (21-22 December) have occurred for thousands of years.  They combine astronomy with angels; nature & myth with spirituality.  Historically, we rely on autumn harvests to survive the bleakness of winter.  Cheerful festivities of nourishment and gratitude help us through those lean months of winter.

Evergreen wreaths are a circular symbol representing the promise of spring’s return and eternal love.  This sentiment is beautifully captured in spiritual artist Sharon Davson’s painting A CURIOUS CHRISTMAS (unfinished) which features in the book’s cover design. 

A colourful wreath also accompanies each of the 32 poems in this little book.

CHRISTMASTIME RHYMES BOOK REVIEWS

Ann Moffatt Doctor of Engineering (honoris causa), Grad Dip Technology Management FACS, FBCS, CITP and author of The IT Girl.

“What a delightful book!!! A combination of poetry on a Christmas theme with a smattering of science. This book would enchant any child from age 3 to early teens. Each poem is crafted with love and care but often has that little bit of flawed rhyme that will encourage children to understand that strict rhyming couplets are not required to make a ‘perfect’ poem.  The ’science’ component is intriguing and will encourage the search for more science, always a good thing.”

 

Diane Finlay Author, Far North Queensland Coordinator for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and author of The Duck With No Quack

“This poetry collection is a delightful and humorous journey through all things festive; a blend of Christmas tradition, intriguing scientific snippets and a trip down memory lane to my own childhood in England. Celia’s ability to blend science with tradition in this collection will delight readers of any age no matter where in the world they are. My particular favourite is The Turkey of Christmas Past which cleverly explains the link between a turkey and a dinosaur.”

 

Jeanie Axton, Editor & Administrator (2017-2023) of Australian Children’s Poetry

“Celia has a way of making science fun and come alive in her poetry. She has a gift for bringing knowledge and creativity together.  I enjoy and always learn something from her work.”

 

Annette Ryan, DipT (TCAE) B.Ed (JCU) COGE (UNSW), Teacher-Librarian, Co-ordinator, Gifted Education Program, Whitfield State School, Queensland, Australia

“Prepare to be mesmerised by Celia Berrell’s wordsmith wizardry and her enchanting explanations as she shares memories of Christmas past with a subtle twist of science to warm your heart in this merriest of seasons.”

 

Rhondda Walters, Accountant & recent Grandmother

“Your little book of rhymes is just delightful and a wonderful way to teach young children that learning is fun.” 

The Garden Within is on YouTube

I recently had the opportunity to attend a free workshop about creating YouTube videos, thanks to the Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre’s ILLUMINATION programme.  I originally shared 8 poems from The Science Rhymes Book on YouTube in 2011.  But when YouTube merged with Google, I somehow lost access to this account.  At the first of four workshop sessions, Aaron from Pierson Media kindly took the time to reconnect me with my YouTube account.  Duly motivated, I decided to recite The Garden Within for this workshop project.

Why The Garden Within?  Because in 2019, I discovered this poem (which features on the Environmental Poetry page of the Science Rhymes website) had been published in an Indian Government School Textbook, possibly since 2014.  In a previous blog, Give & Take: The Garden Within, I mentioned this and explained how this spiritual rhyme came about.  That was after delivering this as a speech at a Toastmasters contest.

I was disappointed that The Garden Within poem had been used so extensively without requesting my permission.  I sent rallying letters to what I hoped were appropriate Indian Government departments, libraries, the book’s printer and even the Indian Embassy.  My letter asked for an apology and a copy of the book.  But no reply has been received at this stage.  Meanwhile, someone who heard my speech asked a favour of a friend who was visiting India.  I now have a hard copy of the 2020 edition of this school textbook, Our World Through English Class VIII, from the State of Telangana, for which I express my deepest thanks to those kind travellers.

I hope you enjoy my workshop YouTube recital of The Garden Within.

While preparing to share this poem’s story at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) panel discussion at Cairns Tropical Writers Festival 2024, I searched the internet and found plenty of YouTube videos about The Garden Within.  Mine is just one of many!

Here are some others:

A LESSON explaining how to interpret the poem by Prathibha (2017)
P. J. Manilal made it into a SONG (2017)
The song became a DANCE (2020)
Another LESSON by VKT English Tutor (2021)
Digial Teacher’s Lesson forgot to mention the name of the poem’s author (2021)
So did Eduzon.in (2023)

Perhaps this poem is on a similar trajectory to Jane Taylor’s The Star (1806).  Fondly sung as the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, we rarely acknowledge those who created it (Jane and Ann Taylor).  The Garden Within has forged a life in the public domain without me.  Recently translated into Chinese & Korean, it appears to be determined to explore the world all by itself – sharing love and gratitude along the way.

The Garden Within by Celia Berrell was inspired by spiritual artist Sharon Davson’s oil painting With Gratitude Comes Growth, housed in the Hikaru Museumin Takayama, Japan.

Creatura (book review)

CREATURA written by Bec Crew published by Australian Geographic

Imagine an animal that will “mess you up if you so much look at it the wrong way”, and has “some truly bizarre behaviours” or “strange little fingers”.  Bec’s imaginative and often humorous descriptions make reading about the quirky creatures in this book a delight.

Creatura is a collection of Mammals, Fish (and other sea creatures), Invertebrates, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians who call Australia home.  Some you’ve already heard of, but others will be rewardingly new discoveries.  

Each Creatura star originally featured in Australian Geographic’s blog of the same name, where I’ve enjoyed Bec’s refreshing writing before.  They provide perfect inspiration for Science Rhymes like this one:

Heady Hatterpillar  by Celia Berrell

This gum-leaf caterpillar’s like
a hairy sausage unicorn
that keeps its dead and moulted heads
and wears them like a hennin horn.

Caterpillars like to eat and
eat until they split their sides,
then grow another bigger skin.
They’ll do this up to thirteen times.

But stink bugs know they’re tasty things
in which to poke their beaky straw
to suck out caterpillar juice.
A store of food those bugs adore.

It seems our caterpillar’s hat,
when waved across its sausage back,
can thwart a stink bug’s timely snack.
A princess hat prevents attack!

Even if you don’t read all the fine print, beneath each title Bec shares funny and caring, in-a-nutshell summaries.  About the Head-Stacking Caterpillar, she says “… that is some post-apocalyptic warlord fashion, if ever I’ve seen it.” And she’s right!

Bec suffers from arachnophobia (fear of spiders), but that doesn’t stop her from giving certain creepy-crawlies a good rap.  When talking about the Wrap-Around Spider she says “Something this good at hiding shouldn’t be so adorable”.  Doesn’t that make you want to have a look?

And look you can.  The photos are brilliant.  My only wish was that the name of the creature in each photo wasn’t displayed in such small italic print.

Although this isn’t a children’s book, I’m sure recently accomplished readers will find many delights and fascinations here, especially if they like biology topics as much as I do.

India’s Chandrayaan-3 Mission

 

Hunting for Hydrogen by Sukarma Thareja & Celia Berrell

Chandrayaan-three,
August twenty-three
in the year of
twenty-twenty-three
sent news to the world
from the lunar cold,
successfully landing
at Moon’s South Pole.

Vikram’s the lander
and Pragyan’s its rover,
fitted with lasers
and chemical sensors.
With fourteen day’s work
then fourteen day’s sleep …
these robots might dream
of electric sheep!

Dr Sukarma Thareja says:  With its Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), Pragyan has found elements of Aluminium, Calcium, Chromium, Iron, Manganese, Oxygen, Silicon, Sulphur and Titanium. Underway is also a search for the lightest element Hydrogen.

 

Find out more about this Indian Space Research Organisation (ISR0) mission HERE


Bright Ideas for Science Week 2023

Sciences with Essences by Russell Fernando
Project Manager, De La Salle College, Malvern Victoria

Endless streams of galaxies ought to bounce.
Do distant stars shine like some cosmic ounce
where exo-planets echo, gather, mount,
appearing too many times for us to count?

To know them all, while yet too many to learn,
we search for ones with Earth-likeness to earn.
They say we’re bound to want and wonder more,
explore where no man’s ever been before.

Are perfect life-forms living here unknown,
clueless to how outnumbered they have grown?
Should bright-lit future-dreams be what we chase,
as though we’re blind to see our Earth’s embrace?

During our quest for progress and control,
we’re failing Earth, our mother, home and soul.
It seems our climate’s harmony is lost.
Our actions now impose a perilous cost.

Let’s ponder stars, and contemplate our ways,
to calculate, redeem, ahead of days.
In seeking truth, may mankind also find
a path to heal, to mend and to be kind. 


Fight Microbes for Health  by Harsheen Kaur
Masters Student in Agriculture and Food Science at the University of Tasmania

Here’s some helpful hints we all should know
starting from our head down to each toe:

Soapy water washes bacteria away.
We recommend you try it every day!

Likewise, brushing teeth at least once daily
keeps our gums and breath more sweet than smelly.

Washing hands before we touch a meal
can block infections.  Such a happy deal!

Cleanliness and hygiene are the key.
This can make us feel so very lucky!

Wash raw fruits and veg appropriately.
The naked eye can’t see those microbes properly.

Handle food and cook as recommended
to keep your insides safe and unoffended.

Don’t let harmful bugs become a tyranny.
Our body’s health should surely take priority.

 

 

The Surging Tide by Jacinta Lou 

In the sea live many ghosts
of pirates, convicts and more.
Lost sunken treasure.
The remnants of war.

In my yard are fossils
where the sea used to be,
billions of years ago
before there was me.

The sea is claiming back the land.
On islands, it’s a disaster.
The billion year shift of tides
is coming. It’s coming even faster.

It’s speeding up as the globe heats up.
Is that about how we live?
To slow it down do we need to change
how we live, what we take, what we give?

Give back to the sea by keeping it clean
of plastics, oil and junk.
Keep the land cool by reusing more
or one day the land will be sunk.

The tide is turning.

 

Ultra-black Fish  by Sukarma Rani Thareja
(Associate Professor Retired, CSJM Kanpur University, India)

Ultra-black fish, Ultra-black fish
hide in plain sight in the deepest sea.
So how does it work, this trickery,
their magic invisibility?

Ultra-black fish, Ultra-black fish
have melanin, just like human skin,
but pigment structures found within
are packed so tight –
like a gumball machine –
that almost all light gets trapped right in.

By taking a lesson from fish-skin designs
we could make-up a pigment, right shape and size.
The blackest of blacks would be our prize
for material science that tricks human eyes!

first published 2020

 

 

The Curious Unknown  by Elizabeth

The waves crash against the rocks
stumbling about like a teenager,
never knowing when to stop
those tireless tides of flows and knocks.

Carrying others everywhere it goes,
carefree about where it will lead.
A resting place or back for more?
With curious currents – who knows?

Mysteries of the deep adore
diving into endless questions,
searching for new answers,
surfacing each time with more.

first published 2020

 

 

One Big Step for Me  by Ruby

Gathered round old televisions
or listening to radio stations
witnessing that “one big step”
fifty years ago.

Moon:
rising and falling,
controlling the tides,
radiant and bright
though never alight.

Your dusty black land
with rocks, shards of sand,
highlands and craters
makes Moon’s unique textures.

There’s still so much to learn
so, to the Moon we will return.
I wonder … will I ever get a turn?

first published 2019

 

An Ode to Stephen Hawking  by Rowen

Stephen Hawking, a brilliant mind!
Very clever, successful and kind.
One of our best scientific pioneers
with one of the most glittering careers.

Incredibly gifted throughout his time,
a theoretical physicist in his prime,
he became a role model to many young people,
but sadly one day he was rendered near-feeble.

Diagnosed with motor neuron disease
his health declined in small degrees.
But he didn’t give up, no, he pushed ahead,
although his peers thought he’d soon be dead.

He kept living on, yes, he cheated death
until March 14th when he took his last breath.
His students, and theirs, talk of him in a way,
that connects with us all, every hour, every day.

They say this great man was one-of-a-kind.
Stephen Hawking enshrined that brilliant mind.

 

first published 2018

 

Lucky Galileo  by Imogen

Renaissance astronomer Galilei
showed that the Earth revolved round the Sun.
Defying the views of the holiest place,
some Catholics wanted him burned at stake.

Instead, he’s imprisoned in home-arrest
where Bubonic Plague wasn’t a pest.
This “Black Death” caused headache, fever and chills
then lymph glands, like boils, began to swell.

Safe from disease, his life was enhanced.
Protected from getting boils in his pants!

 

first published 2018

 

 

Saving the System  by Reinhold Mangundu

 

The system is life; this system provides.
Such system collapse is people’s demise.
So what are we doing with unthinking minds?
Can you feel, hear or see Earth’s desperate signs?

Bleached coral reefs; no fishing, no work.
Unemployed poverty mustn’t be shirked.
Less copper, less diamonds: they’re closing the mines.
Can you feel, hear or see Earth’s depleted signs?

Our Earth’s system needs us to save, not plunder
her life-giving riches in all their wonder.
So let’s save the system. Let’s roar out her worth!
And join in becoming Guardians of Earth.

 

first published 2018

 

Water Worldwide  by Jonathon

Water glistens, shiny and clear.
From every stream runs Earth’s long tear.
Its floods can cause a lot of strife
and yet it is the gift of life.

Water problems happen worldwide.
With too much water many have died.
With too little water; nothing lives.
So water takes and water gives.

 

first published 2017

 

Light Duties for a Photon by Ava


Photons who are unemployed
but keen, hardworking, bright,
we’d like you to be part of
a brand new ray of light.

To be a working photon
you’ll set the world aglow.
Helping plants to make us food
so we can live and grow.

You have to be a lightweight,
move quickly, still be calm.
You must be an optimist
to keep your sparkle on.

After you have left the Sun
aim straight for Earth’s blue sky.
If the photon job’s for you,
we’d like you to apply!

 

first published 2015

 

Evolution  by Claire

Changes happen every day
slowly gradually in many ways.


Like humans used to be one little cell.
Now we are complex strong and well.

 

What is this process called evolution?
It’s like a slow-motion revolution.


Creatures adapting to their home,
wherever they may choose to roam.

 

Evolution is here in many ways
and doesn’t happen in a matter of days.


Adjusting and adapting to a new area
can take a species many millennia.

 

Evolution is the fish in the sea
that turned into apes, wild and free.


From those apes humans emerged.
From their trees they scattered and surged.

 

We wouldn’t be here on planet Earth
if that small cell hadn’t been in the surf.


To think we wouldn’t be alive
if one little cell hadn’t arrived.

 

first published 2012

 

Did you know that Australia now has a POETRY MONTH each AUGUST?  What a great combination for celebrating a decade of your BRIGHT IDEAS for Science Week in rhyme!

The Webb Telescope revealed so many amazing and beautiful things about our universe over the last year after successfully unpacking itself in space.  You can see some of those images HERE.

Unpacking the Webb Telescope  by Celia Berrell

First, un-pleat some solar cells
and wag that space antenna tail
to give our telescope some power
for data-sending mail.
Open sides, like two long arms,
then stretch-out layers of silver veils
to make a heat-shield from the Sun.
Too hot, our Webb could fail.

Next, erect the smaller mirror
then a radiator,
before reflective parts hinge wide.
That giant mirror’s locked, both sides,
to make a golden-petal flower
with infra-red its viewing power,
to be an ancient star-locator.
Deepest history translator!

inspired by animation of deployment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzGLKQ7_KZQ

Celia Berrell
PO Box 830
Hervey Bay QLD 4655

Email:
feedback@sciencerhymes.com.au
Mobile:
0408 069 192
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