Science and Fiction - 424/1000

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Despite what I said last Tuesday,
I have nothing to read to you.
Planning for Valentine’s Day
And your birthday
Took up much more time
Than I care to admit.

“I could read you
My lab report
I’m working on
For advanced chemistry,”
You offered
When I told you the bad news.

“What kind of chemistry class
Can keep up with you?
I thought you were taking
‘Advanced Chemistry’
Two years ago
When I met you.”

“I was.”

“Then what in the world
Are you enrolled in now?”

“Intro to chemical engineering.”

“You’re gonna have to explain
A little more than that.”

“Basically, the class is going to teach me
Everything I’ll need to do
Before becoming a chemical engineer.
That’s what I want to be
When I grow up.”

“I’m glad at least one of us
Has that figured out.”

“I know what you’ll be,”
You said with a smile.

“And what will that be?”

“An author, of course.
You’ll have fans dying to meet you,
Movies made out of your books,
And every morning you’ll walk into Starbucks,
And the workers will already know your order,
And you’ll sit down
And write for an hour
Before coming home
And starting your day.”

“Oh yeah?
And what will you be doing?”

“Working in pharmaceutical industry,
Making new medicines
And improving old ones
To help everyone live healthier lives.”

I had to look up
How to spell pharmaceutical
And then what it meant.