Life’s Chemical Formulas

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Describe something you learned in high school.

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I was the kind of student who danced
around test tubes and keenly glanced
as reactions erupted after I balanced
equations with precision and care.

“A perfect balance is achieved
if you focus on the little things“,
my chemistry teacher donned on,
“each element as important and counts,
no matter how slight.”

Years later those lessons resonate deeper
with life: reactions and moments.

H₂ + O = H₂O
Just like two hydrogens with one oxygen flow,
small acts of kindness, together they bind,
to form something greater, for all of mankind.

2HgO = 2Hg + O₂
When heated with trials, as mercury’s oxide,
it breaks down to metal and gas, side by side
so too do our trials, when faced with grace,
reveal purer selves and a stronger base.

C₆H₁₂O₆ = 2C₂H₅OH + 2CO₂
From glucose to ethanol, transformation is key,
a reminder that change is the way to be free.
like fermentation’s gentle, yet powerful shove,
it’s the little things that ferment into love.

Fe₂O₃ + 3CO = 2Fe + 3CO₂
Iron and carbon, in heat they unite,
to forge something stronger in the furnace’s light,
so forge bonds with others, in warmth and in strife,
for connections, like steel, are the backbone of life.

Na + Cl = NaCl
Sodium alone, so reactive and bold,
meets chlorine’s embrace, and together they hold
a lesson in balance, a dance of the small,
creating a compound that stands firm and tall.

As we tally life’s sums let’s not forget
it’s the little things that make the grand outcomes
for in every small atom, potential resides,
to tip the scales of life’s grander tides.