Tag: Particle

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Tuning in… by Tony Williams

radio waves—
I roll over
and try not to think

by Tony Williams

Have you ever wondered if radio waves are harmful? Maybe not lose sleep over it! There are many interesting articles to read about the subject, and research is ongoing, as it should be. The long and the short(wave) of it, according to expert opinions is yes, radio waves can affect us, but under normal circumstances the effect is believed to be slight – perhaps warming us by less than 0.2°C. On balance, I think it is advisable to reduce our overall exposure and, if possible, try to persuade our kids to limit phone use. Good luck with that!

Further reading:

‘Radiofrequencies and health : where are we ?’, 2025, Encyclopedia of the Environment, available: https://www.encyclopedie-environnement.org/en/health/radiofrequencies-health/

‘Radiowave Effects on Humans’, 1980, Davis, N., Geophysical Institute, available: https://www.gi.alaska.edu/alaska-science-forum/radiowave-effects-humans

Author bio:

Tony Williams from Scotland, UK, started writing haiku and senryu in 2020. Since then he has been published widely in many fine journals and picked up some awards. Tony takes inspiration from spending time in nature. He is not unhappily retired.

Read other sciku by Tony here: ‘Spooky Action’ and ‘ToE…’.

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flying neutrinos by Jonathan Aylett

flying neutrinos
that faint sense of attraction
when our orbits cross

by Jonathan Aylett

Neutrinos are elementary subatomic particles that are electrically neutral and have almost no mass. Whilst the most abundant particles with mass in the universe, they very rarely interact with other matter.

This poem uses neutrinos as a metaphor for two people in the same social circle who are vaguely attracted to one another but do nothing about it.

Further reading:

‘Neutrino’, Wikipedia article, available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrino

Author bio:

Jonathan has been writing and publishing poetry for several years. His work has featured in journals dedicated to haiku, and broader literary journals, and won competitions across both disciplines. His collection ‘Goldfish’ – a mix of haiku and long form poetry, was published by Stairwell books in spring 2024. You can follow Jonathan on Instagram here: @jonathanaylettpoetry 

Read more sciku by Jonathan here.

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HAI-COUNT by James Ph. Kotsybar

Our Standard Model
houses seventeen beasts in
its particle zoo.

Seventeen quantum
particles like syllables,
defining thought’s fields.

In this way, haiku
mirrors Nature’s elements
at her most basic.

by James Ph. Kotsybar

Can it be merely coincidental that the number of sub-atomic particles is equal to the number of syllables in a haiku? Of course, but it’s still a fun speculation to entertain.

Further reading:

‘Physicists just discovered two new subatomic particles. Here’s why that matters’, 2014, Stromberg, J., Vox, available: https://www.vox.com/2014/11/26/7280417/higgs-boson-LHC

‘Subatomic particles’, Wikipedia, available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subatomic_particle

Author bio:

James Ph. Kotsybar is the first, living poet whose work has reached another planet, chosen for the honor by the NASA MAVEN team. Invited to read at the EuroScience Open Forum – Europe’s largest interdisciplinary science event – in Toulouse, France, attended by the Troubadours (Europe’s oldest literary institution), who gave him a standing, return invitation for his science poetry presentation. Find out more about him and his book ‘Bard of Mars’ here.