poem Phosphorus, a poem from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series By Chicago Poet Janet Kuypers, phosphorous poem, periodic table poem, Venus poem, DNA poem, glowing poem, luminescence poem, toxic poem, destructive poem

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Phosphorus
Janet Kuypers
from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series
4/23/12
I didn’t know how much I needed you.
I didn’t know how essential you were to me.
I didn’t know how my creation depended on you.
Even though I barely see you,
even though you seemed barely there for me,
even though I got rid of you whenever I could...
I didn’t know that even though
you were barely there,
you were there... just enough.
Like Venus, I only saw you from afar.
Like what is in DNA, RNA, ATP, you are
like me, all the way down to my cell membranes.
When I think of you,
when I breathe in the oxygen around me,
when your phosphorescence illuminates me...
Then I realize your true power.
Then I realize you’re the light bearer.
Then I realize you’re my morning star.
Though you seem toxic,
though you seem explosive,
that’s apparently the spark that gets me going.
So, remember that you give the Earth life.
So remember, you can always light my fire.
So, remember that since you have that charge
you can also help us destroy ourselves.

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Like Janet Kuypers’ writing on any of these links below:

Download the free chapbook with this poem of the 2012 Poetry Bomb, with the Periodic Table of Poetry poems.

Watch this YouTube video
of this “Periodic Table of Poetry” poem read live in Chicago 11/17/12 (Canon) at Blue Bettie’s Poetry Reading

Watch this YouTube video
of this “Periodic Table of Poetry” poem read live in Chicago 11/17/12 (Sony) at Blue Bettie’s Poetry Reading

Watch this YouTube video
of poems read from Janet Kuypers’ “Periodic Table of Poetry” series, live in Chicago 11/17/12 (Canon) at Blue Bettie’s Poetry Reading, including tihs poem

Watch this YouTube video
of poems read from Janet Kuypers’ “Periodic Table of Poetry” series, live in Chicago 11/17/12 (Sony) at Blue Bettie’s Poetry Reading, including tihs poem

Download the free chapbook with this poem titled Count Me In, with
the Periodic Table of Poetry poems.

Phosphorus

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