poem Sulfur, a poem from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series By Chicago Poet and performance artist Janet Kuypers, sulfur poem, periodic table poem, caustic poem, bleach poem, photography poem, anti-inflammatory poem, drugs poem, brittle poem, skin poem, torah poem, bible poem, gunpowder poem

[the Writing of Kuypers] [JanetKuypers.com] [Bio] [Poems] [Prose]

Sulfur edited 1/29/13 for the “Poetry Saloon at Noon” feature
at the Chicago Cultural Center 1/30/13
Janet Kuypers
from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series
You always had such a caustic smell,
but you gave me the bleached paper,
you were the fixing agent
when I made photography prints.
You were good
for the plants under my feet;
but still, I know you threw yourself
into drugs I needed to take.
giving me a rash all over my body...
Even though I know you’re needed for life
by many small organisms —
you’re even supposed to keep
our skin and hair healthy.
Then why did I react you to so violently?
I mean, my hair’s not brittle,
and my skin’s not falling off...
But a rash?
Well, I suppose too much of you
for me may be a bad thing...
I know you did your best
to make yourself known...
You’re in the Torah.
You’re in the Bible.
But what I thought was funny
is that like all religions,
(which can seem good but are also caustic),
you even make the best gunpowder,
historically throughout the world.
So yeah, I guess it makes sense
that if you want to have
that much of an effect on me
and the world throughout history.
you’d even find your way
into religious books,
so you could really remind us
of how you can really make yourself known.

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

See YouTube video
of Kuypers reading her “Periodic Table” poems, including this one, live in her Chicago 1/30/13 feature Poetry Saloon at Noon, with background music from the HA!Man of South Africa’ “Wayward Waltz of the Fractured Wind”

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.

Sulfur
Janet Kuypers
from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series
9/1/12
When I’ve always thought of Sulfur,
I thought of it’s caustic smell,
or the fact that it’s mixed with things
so its used to bleach paper,
or as a fixing agent
when making photography prints.
It’s been used for vulcanizing rubber,
and it has been used as a fertilizer;
I know they use it in compounds
to make anti-inflammatory drugs, too.
(I only know this because
I’ve had an allergic reaction
to taking sulfa drugs, giving me
a rash all over my body.)
But I know it’s needed for life
by many small organisms (and it’s
even needed for keeping human
skin and hair healthy).
Wait... So if us humans need it,
why am I allergic to it? I mean,
my hair’s not brittle, and my skin’s
not falling off... I really hope
that it’s just a matter of me having
just enough of this stuff, because
too much can be bad for me...
And the thing is, I had no idea
that Sulfur was also mentioned
in the Torah and in the Bible...
Historically it was even used
to make the best gunpowder,
and it was commonly used
in Ancient Greece, China and Egypt.
So I guess it makes sense
that if we have combined Sulfur
(though I really prefer to spell it
in Latin with a “ph” instead...)
with so many other things
for our needs in life right now,
that it would have been used
throughout history so much
that this element finds it’s way
into religious books
throughout history too...