Including poems about light to celebrate the International Year of Light and National Science Week.
Twinkling Stars by Harmonie
Whitfield State SchoolFlickering starlight in the night.
Impossible to miss.
Although it seems natural
it wasn’t always like this.A star is oh, so far away.
Immensely far from here.
Before that light can reach our eyes
it passes through our atmosphere.Different densities of air
can change the view of starlight’s place.
Its light is interrupted here
compared with outer space.The twinkling light of a far-off star
is only an Earth-bound view
as stars themselves don’t twinkle.
And now you know that too.
Bright Shiny Rays by Coco
Whitfield State SchoolWhat’s never murky or blurry
and couldn’t be foggy or dreary?
What’s ever so bright and full of colour
happy to shine on a polished mirror?It’s light, illuminating our world
in glimmers and gleams both new and old.
Refracting, reflecting and being absorbed
light gives us life, and light is adored.
Bioluminescence by Harmonie
Whitfield State SchoolIn the deep dark seas, a light shines bright –
from what, we do not know.
A white-lit glow in dead of night
holds terrors far below.An anglerfish’s light will show
its jaws, thrust open wide.
And smaller fish, struck by the glow
swim foolishly inside.How does its light, as bright as day
occur so naturally?
If you don’t know, then I’ll explain
and then we all will see.Some luminous bacteria
(their light is hard to miss)
are helping deep-sea anglerfish
via symbiosis.The female angler has a spine
on which bacteria sit.
Their microbe-hostess doesn’t mind.
In fact, she’s proud of it!Bacteria provide the light
that lures the angler’s food.
And in return those microbes will
get shelter from the gloom.The two live out connected lives.
Both working hand-in-hand.
Until the fish, without a fight
is caught and brought on land.
Light Duties for a Photon by Ava
Whitfield State SchoolPhotons 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!
Moon Light by Tayler
Whitfield State SchoolPeering through the misty gloom
the light that shimmers from the moon
is never that of its own
but simply a reflection shown
of light-waves from our sunny Sun
beaming over everyone.
Rainbows by Tehya
(Whitfield State School, Cairns)Rows of ripe colour spread through the sky
They look so extraordinarily high
Sometimes vibrant and crystal clear
But often faded and not so near.When rain clouds clear, the sun shines bright
Then raindrops are dazzled by the light
Which first refracts, then reflects on each drop
As a spectrum of colour bursts with a pop.Some think that rainbows hold magic and mystery
Myths about gold were believed throughout history
Races on rainbows? Now that can’t be right
It’s simply the wonderful science of light.
Decoding Bursts of Light by Moona Perrotin
Do we see reality as it is?
A third of the brain’s cortex is engaged
in vision. The eye has a retina with 130 million
photo-receptors but there are even moreneuro-receptors.
They construct what we see
out of the arrangement of the bursts of light
trapped by the lens in our eye.Reality exists without us watching.
If our neuro-receptors construct a good likeness
of that reality, it will enable us to survive
better than others of our species and it will be biased
towards our specific needs.Light is information.
Fitness for purpose is the outcome of evolution.
Fitness for purpose means to interpret usefully
the interface between reality and me.Things are preceptional symbols only.
Reality is far more complex and fluid
than the crude icons we name as things.
Reality is energy, vibration, light,
is consciousness realised.
Bush Fire by William
Trinity Anglican School, Kewarra BeachThe fire roars across the land.
The ash is like dusty sand.
Motor cars burn and rust.
Family memories turn to dust.When lives are at stake, no-one’s civil
running from the blood-red devil.
Oh! Oh, no. What an awful sight.
The flares, the flares, diamond bright.Then, when the rain pitters down
the earth colour is a dim dark brown.
They’re safe at last, the rain is coming.
They’re safe at last, from all the running.
I Want To Be A Scientist by Phoebe
Redlynch State CollegeI want to be a scientist
Observe the world around
I want to be a scientist
Not a boring old clown.I want to make smart guesses
Hypothesising things
Doing cool experiments
And wearing lab-coat strings.I want to be a scientist
That studies Earth or Sky
Recording all my data which
Will answer what and why.I want to be a scientist
Who has a famous name
Receiving Nobel Prizes
So that will be my aim.
The Wondrous Human Body by Sascha
Redlynch State CollegeRarely do we think about how the human body works
And instead we live our lives unaware of all the perks.
Each and every organ combined with every nerve
We’re made up of eleven systems, each unobserved.
When we’re sitting down, we hardly stop and realise
How we breathe, digest and perspire, all to our surprise.
Little do we know about the digestive system.
We simply eat the food that appears in our vision.
Did you know these molecules absorbed by our bloodstream
Are all a part of the systems which work as one large scheme.
Every time we breathe out, exhale or perhaps have a sigh
The carbon dioxide is released, do we ask why?
The deoxygenated blood needs to be replenished!
Refraction by Brea
Redlynch State CollegeIf you
shine a light
through a curved lens
the path your light takes
also bends. This trick is called
refraction. Speed of light
changing from one
substance to
another.
Erbium Haiku by Emily
Redlynch State CollegeErbium and tin
are both metals, but carbon
is more abundant.
Human Homeostasis by Jessica
Redlynch State CollegeI never knew about my body.
To me, it was all very foggy.
But now that I have studied science
I no longer need any guidance.
Homeostasis is the key
As it controls stability.
Involving all the body’s organs
To regulate our fluid portions.
The kidneys are the most important.
They help to keep our insides constant.
Their roles are really quite simplistic:
Stop the body going ballistic!
They regulate the body’s water
Keeping mineral ions in order.
They also move out extra waste
While glucose, proteins, stay in place.
Overall, I’ve become a genius
Since I’ve proved this marvellous thesis.
It’s simply an essential basis;
Human life needs homeostasis.
The Moon by Alistair
Redlynch State CollegeMidnight
Floating high.
Later on
The morning sky.
Volcanology by Zayli
Redlynch State CollegeDo you want to know
what makes a volcano go?
First you add some bi-carb soda.
And inside the same container
you put in some vinegar.
Shake, shake, shake
pour, pour, pour.
Whooooaaaa.
Watch it bubble
it bubble, it bubble.
This is what it looks like
when you replicate a volcano.
You take acid & base.
Watch out when
they touch.
Whooooaaaa,
Watch it bubble
it bubble, it bubble.
The bi-carb base tries to
neutralise the acidic vinegar.
They react, making carbonic acid
which fizzes out carbon dioxide gas.
And now you know what
makes a volcano go!
Tired of Science? by Lia
Redlynch State CollegeDo you like science? Science to me
is Newton’s apple-tree gravity.
Albert Einstein’s crazy equation;
Earth’s seasoned tilt and day rotation.
It’s when Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon;
How penicillin’s no longer immune.
The theory of evolution;
Starting a carbon revolution.
Organisms still developing;
Why the dinosaurs were threatening.I think it all started with big bang theory …
but now I’m feeling incredibly weary!
Three States of Matter Haikus by Bailey
Redlynch State CollegeSolid:
A solid has a
fixed volume, as well as shape.
Molecules compact.Liquid:
Fixed volume, no shape.
Most certainly a liquid
has fluidity.Gas:
Fills any space with
no volume, no shape.
It must be a gas.