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40 Chemistry Experiment We listened intently to the professor, Followed each one of her instructions, Read through the textbook twice, Wore lab coats and safety goggles, Mixed the perfect chemical combinations In the proper amounts and order. It was all progressing smoothly; We thought we were a complete success. And then the flash of light, The loud, perplexing explosion, The black rope of smoke, Rising freely above our singed hair. Someone in another lab down the hallway Phoned the local fire department Which arrived lickety-split With the hazardous waste crew, And they assessed the accident, Deciding we were out of danger. It was the talk of the campus For many weeks afterwards. We, however, became so disillusioned That we immediately dropped the course And slowly retreated from each other. The very idea we could have done More damage than we actually did— Blown up ourselves and the building From the base of its foundation— Shook us, like nothing had before. And even now, years later, When anyone still asks about you, I get this sick feeling in my stomach And wonder what really happened To all that elementary matter. ...

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