Bending the theme rules again…

Note: paradichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane - the chemical name for DDT. (Also

1,1’-(2,2,2-trichloroethylidene) bis(4-chloro)-benzene, 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethane and p,p’-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane depending on how you look at it.

)

Okay, so it’s not by a scientist - or, at any rate, not by a scientist willing to admit to it. [not quite true; see Ramesh’s comment - m]. But no collection of science-related poems would be complete without at least one limerick - they seem to be one of the most popular forms of humorous verse around.

Of course, one of the reasons limericks are so popular is that they have a relatively low entry barrier. Any fool can write a limerick - and, inevitably, many do. Which means, naturally, that Sturgeon’s Law applies in spades, and a limerick has to be good, funny, clever or all three in order to stand out.

Today’s has achieved a reasonable measure of fame (translation: I’d actually read it before I thought of the theme <g>), mostly for the clever way it fits the (long) chemical name of DDT into limerick scansion - though with some distortion (tri CHLO ro e THANE rather than TRI chloro E thane). Not to mention the fact that ‘chloro’ doesn’t quite rhyme with ‘sorrow’ (rhyne, perhaps). Still, I like it - long chemical names have a lovely flowing rhythm to them, and they aren’t appreciated enough :).

Links

We’ve run one limerick before - it’s not a form that really lends itself to great poetry <g>: poem #378

  If you'd really like to know about DDT:
    A picture, in living pseudocolour:
      [broken link] http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/CHEM/DDT-st.gif

    Linked to from an extensive fact sheet:
      [broken link] http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts35.html

The theme so far: Poem #795, poem #797, poem #798, poem #800

— Martin