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This Poem was Submitted By: Drenda D. Cooper On Date: 2003-10-10 13:33:25 . . . Click Here To Mail this Poem to a Friend!

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In Search Of The God Particle

"Physicists are praying that their 4-mile-long machine will detect a tiny bit of matter so elusive that some consider it practically divine." ...excerpt from Popular Science Magazine, Nov., 200l. Physicists' minds flex and spew Complex theories of flux. From realms of the unseen Highly imaginative possibilities Step up to mathematical probabilities Into incomprehensible equations, akin To mystical, for those who think Inside the box of three-dimensional. Giant accelerators smash particles Into waves, as great minds hover over Hoping to uncover miniscule articles Of their faith. A few, highly esteemed, Have deemed the most fundamental to be 'Higgs boson,' the ultimate source; Designated by some to be 'divine', The reason that matter has weight. Unready, yet, to let go of the past, Skeptics hold their breath and wait. Unable to embrace new paradigms That include non-matter, they need pictures; Concrete proof of bizarre conjectures. For fellow scientists the need arises From competition for the Nobel prizes. So stretches this search into the sublime. To the brilliant few who remain on course The 'Higgs' will become defined, confined; No longer devine, just the smallest thus far To take its place in proper perspective, Reflective in the continuum of space-time. For physicists, once more, will push the envelope; Bend thought into understanding; destined to grope For the core of that which has no beginning, no end.

Additional Notes:
I have really been into physics lately. I highly recommend "The Dancing Wu Li Masters" and "The Seat Of The Soul" by Gary Zukav for anyone interested in an overview of the "new physics."

This Poem was Critiqued By: Rachel F. Spinoza On Date: 2003-11-07 11:11:06
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.88889
Great quote with which to begin this piece. It serves well as a coda and does not intrude or interpret as epigrams are wont to do. Physicists' minds flex and spew Complex theories of flux. Good use of X the hardest letter of the alphabet with which to assonate. And flex and spew they do! From realms of the unseen Highly [I think it would flow better if you drop “Highly’ imaginative possibilities Step up to mathematical probabilities Into incomprehensible equations, akin To mystical, for those who think Inside the box of three-dimensional. Yes – that is a good observation and a skillful use of language Giant accelerators smash particles Into waves, as great minds hover [-over] [hover, hoping… would be Better for the assonance I think and would lead more smoothly to the internal rhyme with “uncover” and hover already suggests “over” Hoping to uncover miniscule articles Of their faith. A few, highly esteemed, Have deemed the most fundamental [great rhyme with esteemed/deemed] to be 'Higgs boson,' the ultimate source; Designated by some to be 'divine', The reason that matter has weight. Unready, yet, to let go of the past, Skeptics hold their breath Hmmm “Skeptics” is plural so it would be more that one breath to hold But “hold their breaths” is clearly wrong so while I see a problem I am clueless as to a suggestion to fix it…. and wait. Unable to embrace new paradigms That include non-matter, [line break]they need pictures; Concrete proof of bizarre conjectures. For fellow scientists the need arises From competition for the Nobel prizes.[nice orphan rhyme] So stretches this search into the sublime.{LOVELY!} To the brilliant few who remain on course The 'Higgs' will become defined, confined; No longer [divine], just the smallest thus far To take its place in proper perspective, Reflective in the continuum of space-time. For physicists, once more, will push the envelope; Perhaps ”Stuff” instead of “bend” to carry on the envelope metaphor? I know that would mess up the bend/end rhyme though – so perhaps not. …thought into understanding; destined to grope For the core of that which has no beginning, no end. Excellent thought provoking and beautifully written poem.

This Poem was Critiqued By: Erzahl Leo M. Espino On Date: 2003-10-25 04:55:23
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.76000
Hi Drenda, “In Search Of The God Particle” --- Its nice to hear from you again Drenda! For me, your entry for the month of October is one of the interesting subjects that I have ever read. From the title alone, the intriguing and interesting character of it already exudes. “"Physicists are praying that their 4-mile-long machine will detect a tiny bit of matter so elusive that some consider it practically divine."...excerpt from Popular Science Magazine, Nov., 200l.” --- Physicists are usually projected as atheist and to say the least that they are “praying” and to consider “discovery” as divine is a bit sarcastic especially when the purpose is just to prove something. Yes, probably they practically needed it to back the cost spend to this 4-mile-long machine. “Physicists' minds flex and spew Complex theories of flux. From realms of the unseen Highly imaginative possibilities Step up to mathematical probabilities Into incomprehensible equations, akin To mystical, for those who think Inside the box of three-dimensional.” --- Very theoretical, very scientific, very technical. I like how it derived from mere urge, intelligence and interests to uncontrolled curiosity, to a lifetime proving, to something “mystical”. Every ingredient for this inner drive and wild passion is clearly defined. --- I like the rhyming of “flex”, “complex”, “flux” and “possibilities”, “probabilities” and “mathematical”, “mystical”, dimensional”. “Giant accelerators smash particles Into waves, as great minds hover over Hoping to uncover miniscule articles Of their faith. A few, highly esteemed, Have deemed the most fundamental to be 'Higgs boson,' the ultimate source; Designated by some to be 'divine', The reason that matter has weight.” --- I like how the nitty-gritty of this meticulous research is highly detailed. I find the inclusion of “Higgs boson” appropriate…as part of the topic “accelerators”, “particles” and “matter”. --- I like the rhyming of “accelerators”, “hover”, “over”, “uncover” and “esteemed”, “deemed” and “boson”, “some” and “reason”. “Unready, yet, to let go of the past, Skeptics hold their breath and wait. Unable to embrace new paradigms That include non-matter, they need pictures; Concrete proof of bizarre conjectures. For fellow scientists the need arises From competition for the Nobel prizes. So stretches this search into the sublime.” --- Here you left such strong words…like the very true “unable to embrace new paradigms that include non-matter”. Here, I can feel the spiritual truth encircled within this line. I find “they need picture (as concrete proof)” very much scientific. It only shows that not all in this world are scientific but also spiritual – which is hard to prove physically…but only with faith. Your inclusion of the “competition for the Nobel prizes” is a bit funny but again, very true…a sad truth. “To the brilliant few who remain on course The 'Higgs' will become defined, confined; No longer devine (divine), just the smallest thus far To take its place in proper perspective, Reflective in the continuum of space-time. For physicists, once more, will push the envelope; Bend thought into understanding; destined to grope For the core of that which has no beginning, no end.” --- Great ending! Your strong word “destined to grope” concludes that this “ultimate” quest could only turn to vain…and thus you rest your case. If they searched on the Bible for the truth, with open mind and faith, they might able to discover “God’s particle”. Kudos on your mind-boggling and profound work Drenda! Very interesting! This is really something that we can reflect on. It’s good that you are into this “readings” and was able to see beyond the information and instead, the wonderment of God’s awesome power and presence still lingers in your faith. Truly, your faith radiates within the lines. For me, that is inspirational! Thank you for posting this to TPL for us to contemplate! As always, Erzahl :)

This Poem was Critiqued By: Claire H. Currier On Date: 2003-10-21 08:28:08
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.57692
For those who believe He is the beginning and He is the end of what we know here as human beings.......a statement so very true .........there is No Greater Love Then He Who Is.....and let all the scientist in the world try to find Him in the outer edges of our space when all they need do is look inside their own being. This is a nicely structured piece poet and your word flow allows the reader to be there, to see the images you are projecting with the flare of your pen.....to take us to the limits of what might be if we could just go one step further.....perhaps but again, look within your soul and you will find the Creator you seek for without His being within you or I we would not exist......nor would any other article, particle, human, animal, that walks this earth for HE is ....... And for those of us who have experienced first hand the touch of God perhaps in dying or in living.....know He is the one who is the beginning and He alone will be the end of creation........ So for all its worth the scientist may do their probing and their inquiries but they will come no closer unless they turn within themselves as well...........this piece provides for much food for thought as well. Interesting poet, very interesting and I am glad to see you have taken on the outer limits of your own creation in search for your Creator. Thank you for posting and sharing this with us. Be safe and God Bless, Claire As for pictures....look deep into the eyes of a new born child, watch he or she search above their heads as they lay in their crib or on a dressing table and watch the smile as it appears.......have you ever wondered what they see that you do not see? A picture perhaps? Indeed not for they have just left their heavenly Father and they are seeing the angels which brought them forth to earth on their journey back home to the Father.......from birth to death our life is just that a journey and we are fortunate in that too. The wind at times kisses your cheek in such a soft embrace........again, who is doing that? Over and over you may ask yourself the simplest of questions and not need a picture to prove a thing to you. God is love and love abounds......Okay poet I will be quiet for now since I do rattle on and could continue this one as well.....your thoughts have provoked me in this direction which to me is wonderful for you have created your own image for the world to see, feel and perhaps someday even touch.

This Poem was Critiqued By: Joanne Duval Morgan On Date: 2003-10-20 19:08:49
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.86667
Hi Drenda, Admirable that you are delving into physics. My mind though has always lived out the box, the scientific community may use equasions, may think in terms of matter, however my thought is, God is everywhere, he and only he has created all of the Universe. Simple maybe, I don't need pictures as proof, I don't need scientistic, or the dogma of established relegion to sell God to me, to prove anythibng. Belief is my value, also my philosophy that I can't take anyone there with me, they have to go there themselves, thus the disenchantment and uphappiness the killing, and all that takes place, God created, God can take away, no scientific theory will ever make or break belief, the individual is the only one that can determine the belief. No harsh judgement here, for everyone is allowed the space, inside the box or outside the box to live with their belief. I enjoyed your presentation, your dialogue is outstanding, your points strong rendered. A great poem, written in the best of intellect, as such I respect the poem for it's projection, and admire the ability of the poet to be as concise about a terory as is presented here. Nice writing, it certainly can make one think reflectively, and get to the root and core of their belief. I've always tested the confines of any box, and a bunch of scientific minds trying to prove God is folly, a waste of time, for he created all in the universe, including the minds of noted scientists trying to prove this this or another. Of course you understand my whole life my closest partner has been God, and I don't need proof, for I believe. Deep, deep poem, undoubtly you'll be many different takes on it, mine may be a simplist approach, but I see no complexity when it comes to my person belief..............that's all. My take and my take alone. Heck of an intellectual poem, great to read, and wonderfully written, great syntax, flow, and all apparent poetic devices.........just a great job. Besy of continue luck...........Jo Morgan

This Poem was Critiqued By: Mell W. Morris On Date: 2003-10-19 16:17:29
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Drenda: Brief...weak, sleepy, foggy...but must comment on the finest poem in your oeuvre, extant. A masterpiece of construction and theme. I posted a poem a coupla years ago, "A Feast of Fermions", and your review was a rhyme about mesons, among other comments. So your theme here is close to my heart. You are ahead of me...I'm unfamiliar with "Higgs boson"...but you make the import clear. You adorn your piece with delectable rhymes, many internal. "Akin to mystical, for those who think inside the box of three-dimensional." Five stars *****. ',,,,smash particles....minds hover over hoping to uncover miniscule articles of their faith." EXQUISITE. You say they need proof...."For fellow scientists the need arises from competition for Nobel prizes." With each phrase, you surpass yourself in a new revelatory descriptor. Your final stanza puts the piece in perspective....no longer a search for the divine, rather the discoveries of nano-particles heretofore unseen. Physicists have always "pushed the envelope"...Hawking is my favorite pusher...."destined to grope for the core of that which has no beginning, no end." Wish I were sufficiently strong to do a line-by-line scan but listen to one thing, please: do not change this poem under any circumstances and I hope you realize how worthy, excellent, and purely astounding this poem is. The most astute and clever poem to be posted on TPL in many, many moons! You have knocked my socks off, girl. This is my kind of poem, my cup of tea; it speaks to my mind and spirit in a rarely-occurring way. Bless you for bringing me this joy while I am still so ill! Brava! Kudos! Laurel wreath! Mell

This Poem was Critiqued By: Irene E Fraley On Date: 2003-10-11 18:52:02
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.57143
I like this poem for its interesting subject and the way science is made interesting. The new sciences of dimensions, strings, quarks, gluons etc are way too complex for me to comprehend, but this poem made some sense to me. Carl Sagon once said to me and other students at Wells, that every time science finds something that proves there is no God, twenty years down the road something else is found in that thing that proves there is a God. Surely the Universe and the Soul are two things that comprise an onion that Man will always be peeling. An interesting poem, Drenda, and one I enjoyed reading and thinking about. I do have one suggestion. Perhaps it would be easier to read and comprehend if you didn't stick with the capital letters at the beginning of every line. Good luck with this... Rene

This Poem was Critiqued By: Joanne M Uppendahl On Date: 2003-10-11 18:03:51
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Dear Drenda: Ahhh!! Life is good, indeed! The combination of this poem, written by you (I love your poetry) and the subject matter seem tailor-made for happiness for me. I love quantum physics, too, and have read "The Dancing Wu Li Masters" and other, similar books, but it was a long time ago, so I may not be current in my understanding. But my appetite is whetted by this poem to pick up those threads once more. I think that your title, "In Search of the God Particle" is excellent, as titles are what draw us to poetry (as well as the author) initially. What an amazing contrast between the two ideas -- "God" and "particle." And then your fascinating epigram: "Physicists are praying that their 4-mile-long machine will detect a tiny bit of matter so elusive that some consider it practically divine." ...excerpt from Popular Science Magazine, Nov., 200l. I practically swoon when I read something like this, for I fully expect that at some time in the future, science may embrace a more spiritual outlook on the universe. I am aware that Einstein was a deeply spiritual man. Physicists' minds flex and spew Complex theories of flux. From realms of the unseen Highly imaginative possibilities Step up to mathematical probabilities --love the 'ilities' rhyme here Into incomprehensible equations, akin To mystical, for those who think Inside the box of three-dimensional. WOW! You have dazzled me with sounds, like "flex/flux/complex/box" with 'x' standing for the unknown number. "flex and spew" are particularly apt verbs for the mental energy expended. I love the sounds in "akin to mystical" - the short i's and the hard 'k' sounds lending to a sense of the mysterious. Giant accelerators smash particles Into waves, as great minds hover over Hoping to uncover miniscule articles Of their faith. A few, highly esteemed, Have deemed the most fundamental to be 'Higgs boson,' the ultimate source; Designated by some to be 'divine', The reason that matter has weight. The honored consonant of the first stanza was 'x; in this one, it is 'v' as in "waves/hover/over/uncover/have/divine." Internal rhymes like "esteemed/deemed" add literary delight to shivers of possibility for this reader. I love considering what may come of this research. "Higgs bosons" are hypothetical elementary particles predicted by particle physics. These may play a fundamental role as carrier particles of the Higgs field which is thought to permeate the universe and to give mass to all particles. These particles were first predicted in the 1960s by the Scottish physicist Peter Higgs. Unready, yet, to let go of the past, Skeptics hold their breath and wait. Unable to embrace new paradigms That include non-matter, they need pictures; Concrete proof of bizarre conjectures. For fellow scientists the need arises From competition for the Nobel prizes. So stretches this search into the sublime. The 'star' of this stanza seems to be the long 'i' in "arises/prizes/sublime" and of course the incredible sibilant 's' in the strophe's final euphonious word, "sublime." To the brilliant few who remain on course -- I think 'remaining on course' is the secret of genius. . . The 'Higgs' will become defined, confined; No longer (divine), just the smallest thus far To take its place in proper perspective, Reflective in the continuum of space-time. For physicists, once more, will push the envelope; Bend thought into understanding; destined to grope For the core of that which has no beginning, no end. Your final stanza predicts that scientists will continue to formulate new hypotheses, but will continue to struggle for understanding of the eternal, ineffable "God particle." Fascinating, thought-provoking and beautifully written, once more. Kudos! All my best, Joanne

This Poem was Critiqued By: Jordan Brendez Bandojo On Date: 2003-10-10 15:35:32
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.66667
Physics! Oh, gosh! You made me very excited with this one Drenda! Don't you know that I am a graduate BS Physics and of course this is my field of study! Sad to say that at this point in time, I am not into Physics, I am into computers. I have left Physics for quite somtime now! Anyway, may I have the best to recall the Physical concepts that I have studied before! To some of my poems, I have been trying to associate Physics! And it is very interesting like when you associate Physics to love, phylosophy of life, etc... And this one is a very well-crafted Physics-Poetry mixture! In Search Of The God Particle? This should be a new issue in Physics, huh! Haven't heard of it lately! Oh, I am getting behind the updates, how interesting to note that a search has begun for launching that 4-mile-long machine to hopefully detect a tiny bit of matter so elusive that some consider it practically divine! Good that you are updated with this, poet! Alright, you have made the poem a high caliber with a high caliber theme! To have this theme is not ordinary in poety. So it must be given a huge appreciation. The entrance is very effective to bring out what it is in the minds of the Physicist. Physicists' minds flex and spew Complex theories of flux. From realms of the unseen Highly imaginative possibilities In the minds of the Physicists, there is always this influx of new ideas that arises into new theories and eventually to new discoveries. Physics stands superior in the fields of science that makes the imagined possiblities into mathematical probabilities to incomprehensible equations... It is sometimes amazing to think about the theories of the three-dimensional box! Giant accelerators smash particles Into waves, as great minds hover over -[The phrase "great minds hover over" is very poetically appropriate!] Hoping to uncover miniscule articles Of their faith. This is the goal of the great minds in Physics! And the skeptics would just be amazed of the proofs that these great minds can provide! What is the latest Nobel Prize in Physics? I just don't know! Maybe, you know! Reflective in the continuum of space-time. For physicists, once more, will push the envelope; Bend thought into understanding; destined to grope For the core of that which has no beginning, no end. A very dramatic and forceful ending! Thank you very much! I enjoyed and I like this one greatly to the max! For me, this is a winner! I long more Physics from you, Drenda! Jordan

This Poem was Critiqued By: Rick Barnes On Date: 2003-10-10 13:52:22
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Drenda, I love this poem. It is well crafted and has such a mathamatical precision to it. I recently read "The God Particle" as well as various other "popular" books on physics, including The Dancing Wu li Masters" and Fritjof Capra's "The Tao of Physics". Each is a fascinating journey into the "new" physics. I, like you, recommend, buy and send these books to assorted friends but I always offer one caveat: The world of sub atomic particle physics and Quantam Dynamics is a world only truly understood, if at all, in the language of mathematics. Your poem reaches deeply into a world where words that can only go so far. You express the beauty of the infinite exquisitely and leave us with that all important note at the edge of the map, "To the brilliant few who remain on course The 'Higgs' will become defined, confined; No longer devine, just the smallest thus far To take its place in proper perspective, Reflective in the continuum of space-time. For physicists, once more, will push the envelope; Bend thought into understanding; destined to grope For the core of that which has no beginning, no end." Congratulations on a work of magnificent scope and understanding.

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