Quantum Lyrics by A Van Jordan

I have just discovered the work of A. Van Jordan and his book Quantum Lyrics from which I have posted extracts in the preceding posts. I feel that this work deserves a little more review space on my pages and have cut and pasted a very good review by Kevin Winter from Amazon Books website.

"In Quantum Lyrics, A. Van Jordan takes the reader on a ride they won't soon forget. In his collection full of lyricism, imagery, and history, Mr. Jordan examines math and science and how they relate to what it means to be human. Most of the poems settle around Einstein, and how he viewed his contributions to society - how he, Einstein, viewed human relationships from when he first got married, to the night he dreamed about his famous equation. Two poems dealing with Richard Feynman lectures, and a couple of poems about comic book heroes, the Flash and the Green Lantern are absolute joys to read. This is a unique collection of prose that take you on a journey of discovery, a journey of self-discovery. The conversations between Einstein and his future wife are interesting, for it shows how even a genius like Einstein had trouble relating to his wife, and readers may find of particular interest Einstein's love letter to his future wife, Mileva Maric. This is a book for those who love both a mixture of science and poetry and highly recommended."

Reviewed by Kevin Winter

Looking forward to reading this book soon.

John Updike's famous Poem - "Cosmic Gall" on the discovery of Neutrinos

Cosmic Gall by

John Updike (1963)

was one of the few poems ever mentionned during a

Nobel Lecture.(1995)

Cosmic Gall.

Neutrinos, they are very small.

They have no charge and have no mass

And do not interact at all.

The earth is just a silly ball

To them, through which they simply pass,

Like dustmaids down a drafty hall

Or photons through a sheet of glass.

They snub the most exquisite gas,

Ignore the most substantial wall,

Cold-shoulder steel and sounding brass,

Insult the stallion in his stall,

And, scorning barriers of class,

Infiltrate you and me! Like all

And painless guillotines, they fall

Down through our heads into the grass.

At night, they enter at Nepal

And pierce the lover and his lass

From underneath the bed - you call

It wonderful; I call it crass.

By John Updike (1963).