This Valentine’s Day, we challenged our readers to send us physics-inspired love poems. You answered the call: We received dozens of submissions—in four different languages! You can find some of our favorite entries below.
But first, as a warm-up, enjoy a video of real scientists at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory reciting physics-related Valentine’s Day haiku:
Or read the haiku for yourself:
Reader poems
Thanks to all of our readers who submitted poems! In no particular order, here are some of our favorites:
For now, I’m seeing other quarks, some charming and some strange
But when we meet, I know we will all physics rearrange
For you, stop squark, will soon reveal the standard model as deficient
To me, you are my superpartner; the only one sufficient.
Without you, I just spin one-half of what our world could be
But you and I will couple soon in perfect symmetry.
All fundamental forces, we are meant to unify
In brilliant theory only love itself could clarify
Now though I may seem hypercharged and strongly interactive,
I must show my true colors if I hope to be attractive.
Without you, I just don’t feel really quite just like a top
But I’m confident I will yet find love in the name of stop.
- Jared Sagoff
The gravity that
Pulls my soul to you dilates:
Your beauty slows time.
- Philip Michaels
A Valentine for Two Quarks
Some people wish for one true love,
like dear old Ma and Pa.
That lifestyle’s not for us; we like
our quark ménage à trois.
You see, some like a threesome,
and I love both of you.
No green quark would be seen without
a red quark and a blue.
The sea is full of other quarks,
but darlings, I don’t heed ‘em.
You must believe I don’t exploit
my asymptotic freedom.
And when you pull away from me,
I just can’t take the stress.
My attraction just grows stronger
(coefficient alpha-s).
With you, my life is colourless;
you bring stability.
Without you, I’m unstable,
so I need you, Q.C.D.
I love our quirky, quarky love.
My Valentines, let’s carry on
exchanging gluons wantonly,
and make a little baryon.
- Cheryl Patrick
Will it work this time?
The wavefunction collapses.
Single once again.
- Anonymous
Our hearts were once close; two nucleons held tight
By a force that was strong, and a love that burned bright.
But, that force became weaker as the days faded ‘way,
And with it, our bond began to decay.
I’ve realize that opposites don’t always attract
(Otherwise, the atom would be more compact),
And opposites we were, our differences great,
Continuing this way, we’d annihilate.
In truth, I’ve quite had it with your duality,
Your warm disposition; cold mentality.
We must be entangled - what else can explain
How, though we are distant, you still cause me pain?
We’ve exchanged mediators, but our half-lives were short,
All data suggests we should promptly abort.
Our collision is over, and signatures thereof
Have vanished, leaving us not a quantum of love.
- Peter Voznyuk
Love ignited light,
Eternal and everywhere:
A Cosmic Background
- Akshay Jogoo
Like energy dear
our love will last forever,
theoretically
- Lauren Brennan
