monopole
By Mark Gilbert
Similarly to the way that electrical charge is either positive or negative, magnetism generates both ‘north’ and ‘south’ poles. However, although single electrical charges are common (for example, a sodium ion, or an electron) a single magnetic pole has never been experimentally detected. Such an entity, a magnetic monopole, was first proposed by Pierre Curie in 1894, and its existence is predicted by various theoretical models of the universe. The search for such a monopole continues.
Like the elusive elementary particle, this minimalist haiku requires no content other than the monopole itself. It is up to the reader whether to supply the second, opposite, pole, through their own imagination, and therefore to balance the poem, or to decide that the single monopole cannot exist, leaving the haiku as a purely theoretical or imaginary quirk. I hope this may give an insight into the kind of conflicts suffered by theoretical physicists.
Further reading/watching:
‘Magnetic Monopole’, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_monopole
‘Why Are There No Magnetic Monopoles? Inflation and The Monopole Problem’, Chris Pattison, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Og9LI4PPM
Author bio:
Originally a chemist, Mark Gilbert is based in the UK and enjoys writing short poetry and prose. He has recently been published in Heterodox Haiku Journal, Five Fleas, Under the Basho and Horror Senryu Journal. You can connect with him on Twitter at @MarkgZero.