Poem: "Hard and Soft Mindcandy"
This poem came out of the May 6, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from 
chordatesrock. It was sponsored by
janetmiles.
"Hard and Soft Mindcandy"
There are the
weird, messy, head-hurting,
seemingly illogical hard sciences
that promise control and predictability
yet remain teasingly out of reach.
Mathematics is
the concentric spheres
of a jawbreaker,
each one with its own
color and flavor,
ever ready to chip your teeth.
Chemistry is
pop rocks going off
in your mouth
when least expected.
Physics is
that batch of peppermints
which refused to solidify
no matter what you did.
There are the
logical, intuitive, orderly
and reasonable soft sciences
that lure you in with penetrable boundaries
until you realize that you can never escape.
Psychology is
cones of cotton candy,
ideas spun to fluff
that seem so large
only to melt in your mouth.
Sociology is
Turkish delight,
sweet and pink and
impossible to resist --
you'd sell your soul, too,
for a taste of how people work.
Linguistics is
saltwater taffy
that you pull and pull
but never manage to
get a real grip on,
and it's not the cat
that's got your tongue.
These are the
hard and soft candy of the mind,
so tempting and delicious
as you press your nose
against the window of wisdom.
* * *
Notes:
Hard and soft sciences are often contrasted, with "hard" referring to sciences of the physical world and "soft" referring to sciences of the social realm. Soft sciences can actually be harder to do because of the difficulty in measuring anything or in testing hypotheses.
Read about jawbreakers, pop rocks, peppermints, cotton candy, and saltwater taffy.
Turkish Delight is famous for appearing in the temptation of Edmund Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. See a recipe for Turkish Delight.
chordatesrock. It was sponsored by
janetmiles.
"Hard and Soft Mindcandy"
There are the
weird, messy, head-hurting,
seemingly illogical hard sciences
that promise control and predictability
yet remain teasingly out of reach.
Mathematics is
the concentric spheres
of a jawbreaker,
each one with its own
color and flavor,
ever ready to chip your teeth.
Chemistry is
pop rocks going off
in your mouth
when least expected.
Physics is
that batch of peppermints
which refused to solidify
no matter what you did.
There are the
logical, intuitive, orderly
and reasonable soft sciences
that lure you in with penetrable boundaries
until you realize that you can never escape.
Psychology is
cones of cotton candy,
ideas spun to fluff
that seem so large
only to melt in your mouth.
Sociology is
Turkish delight,
sweet and pink and
impossible to resist --
you'd sell your soul, too,
for a taste of how people work.
Linguistics is
saltwater taffy
that you pull and pull
but never manage to
get a real grip on,
and it's not the cat
that's got your tongue.
These are the
hard and soft candy of the mind,
so tempting and delicious
as you press your nose
against the window of wisdom.
* * *
Notes:
Hard and soft sciences are often contrasted, with "hard" referring to sciences of the physical world and "soft" referring to sciences of the social realm. Soft sciences can actually be harder to do because of the difficulty in measuring anything or in testing hypotheses.
Read about jawbreakers, pop rocks, peppermints, cotton candy, and saltwater taffy.
Turkish Delight is famous for appearing in the temptation of Edmund Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. See a recipe for Turkish Delight.